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BIOLOGY 
UBRARi 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 

MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


^ 


OUR  FEATHERED  GAME 


i. 


i^\kikii>»..h    ■■^iiwuil.Nc, — bLAl  TKKKl)    BIRDS 


OUR  FEATHERED  GAME 

A   HANDBOOK   OF  THE 
NORTH   AMERICAN  GAME  BIRDS 


BY 


DWIGHT   W.   HUNTINGTON 


WITH  EIGHT  FULL-PAGE    SHOOTING  SCENES   IN  COLOR 
AND  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  THIRTY-FIVE  BIRD  PORTRAITS 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
NEW    YORK    ::   ::   ::   ::   ::    1904 


^i^.:j 


Copyright,    1903,   by 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 


Published,  June,    1903 


BIOLOGY 
LIBRARY 


TROW  DIRECTORY 

PRINTINQ  AND   BOOKBINDING  COMPAJ<V 

NEW   YORK 


SK3/3 


CONTENTS 


PAGB 

I.  Introduction ,       .        i 

II.  Guns  and  Dogs 9 

III.  Game  Clubs,  Parks,  and  Preserves  .        .      20 


BOOK  I 

GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS 

IV.  Gallinaceous  Birds 41 

PHEASANTS 

V.  The  Wild  Turkey 46 

VI.  The  Pheasants 52 

GROUSE 

VII.  The  North  American  Grouse     ....  60 

VIII.  The  Prairie-Grouse 65 

IX.  The  Sharp-Tailed  Grouse   .        ,        .        .        .  73 
X.   The  Sage-Cock— Cock  of  the  Plains        .        .83 

XI.   The  Ruffed-Grouse 88 

XII.  The  Dusky-  or  Blue-Grouse       ....  96 

XIII.  The  Canada-Grouse.  Spruce-Grouse,  or  Black- 

Grouse          100 

XIV.  The  Ptarmigan 103 

PARTRIDGES 

XV.   The  Partridges 106 

XVI.  Bob-White 109 

XVII.   The  California  Partridges         .        .        .        .125 
XVIII.   The  Southwestern  Partridges  .        .        .133 

•  V 


ivi3494;y^ 


VI 


CONTENTS 


BOOK  II 


WILD-FOWL,  OR   SWIMMERS 


XIX.   The  Wild-Fowl,  or  Swimmers 
XX.  The  Wild  Swans 
XXI.  Wild  Geese 
XXII.   Other  Wild  Geese  . 

XXIII.  The  Snow-Geese,  Brant,  Etc 

XXIV.  Tree-Ducks 


PAGE 

148 

156 
160 


SEA-DUCKS 

XXV.  Sea-Duck  Shooting 
XXVI.  The  Canvas-Back 
XXVII.   The  Red-Head 
XXVIII.   The  Scaup-Ducks      . 
XXIX.  The  Golden-Eye  and  Ot 


HER  Sea-Ducks 


XXX.  Old-Squaws,  Coots,  and  Eiders 


161 
171 
181 
186 
192 
197 


RIVER   DUCKS 

XXXI.  River-Duck  Shooting 

XXXII.  The  Mallard     . 

XXXIII.  The  Dusky  Ducks     . 

XXXIV.  The  Teal    . 
XXXV.  The  Wood-Duck 

XXXVI.  Other  River  Ducks 


204 
208 
220 
225 

233 
236 


MERGANSERS 
XXXVII.  The  Mergansers 


241 


CONTENTS  vii 

BOOK    III 

SHORE  BIRDS   OR    WADERS 

PACE 

XXXVIII.  The  Shore  Birds  or  Waders         .        .        .247 

XXXIX.  The  Woodcock 252 

XL.   The  Snipe 268 

XLI.   The     Bartramian     Sandpiper  —  Upland 

Plover c  283 

XLII.   Bay  Bird  Shooting 287 

XLIII.  Other  Snipes  and  Sandpipers       .        .        .  294 

XLIV.  The  Plovers 307 

XLV.   Other  Varieties  of  Shore  Birds.        .        ,  316 


BOOK   IV 

CRANES,  RAILS,  AND   REED  BIRDS,    WILD 
PIGEONS  AND  DOVES 

XLVI.  The  Cranes 323 

XLVII.  The  Rails  and  Reed  Birds    .        .        ,        ,    327 
XLVIII.   Wild  Pigeons  and  Doves        .        .        •        .    334 

APPENDIX 347 

INDEX 391 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


SHOOTING    SCENES    IN   COLOR 
Fro?n  original  drawings  by  D.  W.  Huntington. 


Partridge  Shooting— Scattered  Birds  . 

Grouse  Shooting  on  the  Prairie    . 
Shooting  Sage-grouse  in  the  Desert     . 
A  Difficult  Shot  at  a  Ruffed-grouse  . 

Shot  behind  him 

Shooting  Canvas-backs  at  Ragged  Island 
Cock  Shooting,  late  in  the  Day     . 
Snipe  Shooting  in  the  Marshes 


Frontispiece 


FACING 
PAGE 


68 
84 
92 
148 
176 
258 
280 


BIRD    PORTRAITS 

A  t  End  of  Volume 


Plate  I 
turkeys  and  pheasants 

1.  English  Pheasant. 

2.  Mongolian  Pheasant. 

3.  Wild  Turkey. 

Plate  II 
grouse 

4.  Prairie-grouse. 

5.  Heath-hen. 

6.  Sharp-tailed  Grouse. 

7.  Ruffed-grouse. 

8.  Dusky-grouse. 

9.  Canada-grouse. 


Plate  III 
grouse 

10.  Ptarmigan,  Winter. 

11.  Ptarmigan,  Summer. 

12.  Sage-cock. 

Plate  IV 
partridges 

13.  Scaled-partridge. 

14.  California  Partridge. 

15.  Gambel's  Partridge. 

16.  California    Mountain 

tridge. 

17.  Bob-white. 

18.  Massena  Partridge. 


Par- 


X 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Plate  V 

SWANS 

19.  Whistling  Swan. 

20.  Trumpeter  Swan. 

Plate  VI 

GEESE 

21.  Cackling  Goose. 

22.  Hutchins  Goose. 

23.  Canada  Goose. 

Plate  VII 

GEESE  AND   BRANT 

24.  Black  Brant. 

25.  Brant-goose. 

26.  Emperor  Goose. 

27.  Ross  Snow-  goose. 

Plate  VIII 

GEESE    AND    TREE-DUCKS 

28.  Lesser  Snow-goose. 

29.  Blue-wing  Goose. 

30.  White-fronted  Goose. 

31.  Greater  Snow-goose. 

32.  Fulvous  Tree-duck. 

33.  Black-bellied  Tree-duck. 

Plate  IX 

SEA-DUCKS 

34.  Canvas-back  Duck. 

35.  Ring-neck  Duck. 

36.  Labrador  Duck. 

37.  American  Scaup-duck. 

38.  Lesser  Scaup-duck. 

Plate  X 

SEA-DUCKS  AND    MERGANSERS 

39.  Red-head  Duck. 

40.  Buffle-head  Duck. 

41.  Surf-scoter. 

42.  Hooded  Merganser. 

43.  Red-breasted  Merganser. 

44.  American  Merganser. 


Plate  XI 

SEA-DUCKS 

45.  American  Golden-eye. 

46.  Long-tail  Duck. 

47.  Harlequin  Duck. 

48.  Ruddy-duck. 

49.  Masked  Duck. 

Plate  XII 

SEA-DUCKS 

50.  White-winged  Scoter. 

51.  King  Eider. 

52.  American  Eider. 

Plate  XIII 

RIVER-DUCKS 

53.  Blue-winged  Teal. 

54.  Cinnamon  Teal. 

55.  Dusky-duck. 

56.  Green-winged  Teal. 

57.  Wood-duck. 

58.  Mallard. 

Plate  XIV 

RIVER-DUCKS 

59.  Widgeon  (Female). 

60.  Widgeon. 

61.  Sprig-tail,  or  Pintail 

62.  Shoveler. 

63.  Gadwall. 

64.  Gadwall  (Female). 

Plate  XV 

SHORE   BIRDS 

65.  Wilson's  Snipe. 

66.  Knot. 

67.  Bartramian  Sandpiper. 

68.  Dowitcher. 

69.  Woodcock. 

70.  Pectoral  Sandpiper. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


XI 


Plate  XVI 

SHORE   BIRDS 

71.  Hudsonian  Godwit. 

72.  Marbled  Godwit. 

73.  Black-necked  Stilt. 

74.  American  Avocet. 


Plate  XVII 

SHORE   BIRDS 

75.  Hudsonian  Curlew. 

76.  Eskimo  Curlew. 

77.  Pacific  Godwit. 

78.  Long-billed  Curlew. 


Plate  XVIII 

SHORE   BIRDS 

79.  Willet. 

80.  Ruff. 

81.  Greater  Yellow-legs 

Plate  XIX 

SHORE   BIRDS 

82.  White-rumped  Sandpipei 

83.  Sanderling. 

84.  Baird's  Sandpiper. 

85.  Stilt  Sandpiper. 

86.  Purple  Sandpiper. 


Plate  XXI 

SHORE   BIRDS 

92.  Belted  Piping  Plover. 

93.  Piping  Plover. 

94.  Semipalmated  Plover. 

95.  Black-bellied  Plover. 

96.  Pacific  Golden  Plover. 

97.  American  Golden  Plover. 


Plate  XXII 

SHORE  BIRDS 

98.  Snowy  Plover. 

99.  Wilson's  Plover. 
100.  Surf-bird. 

lor.  Black  Turnstone. 

102.  Mountain  Plover. 

103.  Ruddy  Turnstone. 


Plate  XXIII 

SHORE   BIRDS 

104.  Least  Sandpiper. 

105.  Semipalmated  Sandpiper, 

106.  Aleutian  Sandpiper. 

107.  Curlew  Sandpiper. 

108.  Western  Sandpiper. 

109.  Wilson's  Phalarope. 


Plate  XX 

SHORE   BIRDS 

87.  Spotted  Sandpiper. 

88.  Buff-breasted  Sandpiper. 

89.  Red-backed  Sandpiper. 

90.  Solitary  Sandpiper. 

91.  Wandering  Tattler. 


Plate  XXIV 

SHORE   BIRDS 

1 10.  Northern  Phalarope. 

111.  Red  Phalarope. 

112.  Kill-deer  Plover. 

113.  American  Oyster-catcher. 

114.  Black  Oyster-catcher. 


xu 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Plate  XXV 

COOT   AND   CRANE 

115.  Coot. 

116.  Sand-hill  Crane. 

Plate  XXVI 

CRANE 

117.  Whooping  CranCo 

Plate  XXVII 

RAILS 

118.  Black-rail. 

119.  Yellow-rail. 

120.  Sora-rail, 

121.  Virginia-rail. 

122.  Clapper-rail. 

123.  King-rail. 


Plate  XXVIII 

PIGEONS   AND   DOVES 

124.  Ground-dove. 

125.  White-winged  Dove. 

126.  Mourning  Dove. 

127.  Red-billed  Pigeon. 

128.  Passenger  Pigeon. 

129.  Band -tailed  Pigeon. 

PLATE  XXIX 

PIGEONS,  DOVES,  AND  BOBOLINK 

130.  Zenaida  Dove. 

131.  Blue-headed  Quail  Dove. 

132.  White-fronted  Dove. 
^33-  White-crowned  Pigeon. 

134.  Inca  Dove. 

135.  Bobolink 


OUR  FEATHERED  GAME 


INTRODUCTION 

SOME  years  ago  I  was  shooting  ducks  in  North 
Dakota  with  some  army  officers  from  Fort 
Totten.  In  looking  over  the  bag  one  evening  I  found 
a  number  of  birds  which  were  entirely  new  to  me. 
Several  of  them  were  not  mentioned  in  any  of  the 
books  on  field  sports.  It  occurred  to  me  then  that 
a  book  describing  every  game  bird  would  be  a  valu- 
able addition  to  a  sportsman's  library. 

The  authors  of  the  earlier  books  had  little  or  no 
experience  west  of  the  AUeghenies  and  many  of  the 
birds  now  taken  by  sportsmen  were  unknown  to  them. 
When  Audubon  and  Wilson  wrote  their  ornithologies 
much  of  the  Western  country  was  inhabited  by  hostile 
Indians  and  was  inaccessible.  Audubon  was  aware  of 
the  existence  of  the  best  American  grouse,  the  sharp- 
tail,  but  said  that  he  was  entirely  unfamiliar  with  its 
habits.  Forester  had  no  acquaintance  with  the  com- 
mon prairie-grouse.  All  the  birds  are  now  known, 
and  described,  but  the  information  is  contained  in 
many  volumes,  and  is,  for  the  most  part,  too  technical 
to  entertain  sportsmen. 

There  is  not  to-day  a  complete  manual  of  the 
feathered  ganie  of  North  America. 


2  INTRODUCTION 

Field  sport  conditions  have  changed  much.  They 
are  diametrically  opposite  those  of  twenty-five  years 
ago.  Forester  wrote  of  the  marvellous  abundance  of 
game  in  the  Eastern  States,  calling  attention  to  the 
fact  that  there  was  not  a  game  law  or  a  game  pre- 
serve in  the  land.  With  a  friend  he  bagged  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  woodcock  in  a  day,  quite  near 
New  York,  and  he  records  large  bags  of  other  game. 
To-day  the  game  birds  are  nowhere  abundant  in  the 
Eastern  States:  there  is  everywhere  a  multiplicity  of 
game  enactments  and  there  are  hundreds  of  game 
preserves. 

The  abundance  of  game  in  the  United  States  was 
truly  marvellous.  It  was  not  unusual  for  a  sportsman 
to  shoot  one  hundred  ducks  in  a  day,  and  the  market 
gunners  often  killed  as  many  at  a  single  shot  from  a 
swivel-gun.  There  are  reliable  records  of  over  a  hun- 
dred shore-birds  being  killed  at  a  shot.  Bogardus 
with  a  friend  shot  three  hundred  and  forty  snipe  one 
day  in  Illinois,  and  the  writer  was  present  in  Ohio 
when  the  bag  contained  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
partridges  (Bob-whites),  besides  ruffed-grouse  and 
woodcock.     Grouse  were  killed  by  the  wagon-load. 

The  prairie-grouse  are  extinct  in  many  of  the 
States  besides  Kentucky,  where  Audubon  says  they 
were  regarded  as  pests  on  account  of  their  destruction 
of  the  buds  of  the  fruit  trees.  There  are  few  places  in 
America  where  one  hundred  ducks  could  be  bagged 
in  a  day  except  on  the  marshes  owned  and  preserved 
by  clubs. 

A  few  years  ago  the  shooting  everywhere  was  free 
and  unrestrained.     A  posted  farm  in  the  Central  and 


INTRODUCTION  3 

Western  States  was  the  exception.  The  few  game  laws 
on  the  statute  books  were  nowhere  enforced,  and  the 
market  gunners  plied  their  trade  unmolested,  in  season 
and  out.  Vast  quantities  of  birds  festooned  the  fronts 
of  game-stores  in  all  the  cities,  and  filled  thousands  of 
barrels  and  boxes  which  were  handled  by  commission 
men. 

Forester  doubted  if  the  breech-loader  would  ever 
come  into  general  use  on  account  of  the  inconvenience 
of  the  little  cases  in  which  the  loads  were  carried.  I 
spent  a  whole  day  in  New  York  recently  in  a  fruitless 
effort  to  find  one  of  the  old  single  muzzle-loaders  to  be 
used  in  making  an  illustration.  The  muzzle-loading 
double  gun  is  rapidly  becoming  a  curiosity. 

The  dogs  have  been  carefully  bred  for  speed  and  en- 
durance and  that  quality  known  to  sportsmen  as  "  bird 
sense,"  and  are  now  trained  to  the  highest  degree  of 
perfection.  The  field  trials  of  these  animals,  which 
had  a  small  beginning  in  1876,  are  to-day  events  of 
much  importance  where  large  purses  are  offered. 
There  were  no  fewer  than  thirty  of  these  competitions 
in  America  the  past  year. 

When  it  became  evident  to  sportsmen  that  the  game 
was  rapidly  vanishing,  the  legislative  assemblies  were 
appealed  to,  and  we  soon  had  many  game  laws.  These 
were  directed  principally  toward  the  shortening  of  the 
open  season,  the  prohibition  in  many  places  of  summer 
and  spring  shooting,  and,  most  important  of  all,  the 
prohibition  of  market  shooting  and  the  sale  of  game. 
Laws  were  passed  limiting  the  size  of  the  bag  to  be 
made  in  a  day,  in  some  States  to  a  very  small  number 
of  birds.     Other  laws  provided  for  a  license  of  from 


4  INTRODUCTION 

$io  to  $40  for  non-residents  and  a  smaller  license  usu- 
ally for  residents.  Two  States  prohibited  the  shoot- 
ing by  non-residents  within  their  borders.  In  addition 
to  these  laws,  now  in  force  almost  everywhere  in  the 
Northern  States,  there  are  many  others  of  less  impor- 
tance, or  of  a  local  nature,  such  as  the  law  in  New  Jer- 
sey, for  example,  which  prohibits  all  shooting  when 
there  is  a  "  tracking  snow  "  on  the  ground.  In  many 
of  the  States  the  season  for  all  game  closes  by  the  first 
of  the  year  and  opens  in  October  or  November. 

These  laws  were  supplemented  by  a  national  law 
(known  from  its  author  as  the  Lacey  law)  which  pro- 
hibits the  shipment  of  game  by  interstate  commerce 
wherever  its  sale  or  transportation  is  prohibited  by 
State  law. 

Since  the  passage  of  the  laws  prohibiting  the  sale  of 
game  in  most  of  the  Northern  States,  game  birds  are 
no  longer  exposed  openly  in  the  markets  where  such 
sales  are  illegal,  but  the  laws  have  been  evaded  in 
many  ways.  Vast  quantities  of  game  are  handled 
each  season  by  the  cold-storage  warehouses.  Mr. 
Starbuck,  President  of  the  Cuvier  Club,  one  of  the 
strongest  game-protective  clubs  in  the  United  States, 
referred  in  a  recent  address  to  the  seizure  in  1891  of 
7,931  grouse,  5,571  partridges  or  quail,  96  woodcock, 
1,324  ducks,  8,848  plover,  7,108  snipe,  8,328  snow-bunt- 
ings, 7,607  sand-pipers,  1,008  reed  birds,  and  738  yel- 
low-legs, at  a  cold-storage  warehouse  in  New  York, 
the  penalties  amounting  to  $1,168,315.  The  agents 
of  the  Government  last  fall  made  a  seizure  of  five 
thousand  partridges  at  a  small  station  in  the  Chick- 
asaw Nation.     Presidenit   Starbuck   say§;     **  Wagon- 


INTRODUCTION  •       5 

loads  of  small  game  have  been  going  out  of  the  woods 
with  astonishing  frequency.  The  sportsmen  through- 
out the  country  should  ponder  on  the  important  facts 
which  have  come  to  light  in  connection  with  the  above 
seizures.  Let  them  consider  that  each  large  city  of 
the  country  has  many  of  these  cold-storage  ware- 
houses, in  which  there  may  be  illegal  game  in  numbers 
almost  as  large  as  was  found  by  the  above  arresting 
officials ;  and  besides  these  large  warehouses,  there  are 
many  others  in  smaller  places  of  less  capacity." 

Mr.  Hornaday,  who  has  made  a  careful  study  of  the 
decrease  of  bird-life  and  has  gathered  many  facts  to 
support  his  statements,  estimates  that  thirty-three 
States  and  Territories,  comprising  three-fifths  of  the 
total  area  of  the  United  States,  show  a  decrease  in 
the  number  of  birds  of  46  per  cent,  during  fifteen 
years.    The  decrease  in  game  birds  is  fully  75  per  cent. 

The  Agricultural  Department,  in  a  recent  bulletin, 
says  that  the  woodcock  and  the  wood-duck  are  in  dan- 
ger of  extermination.  The  fact  that  in  the  great  seiz- 
ure of  game  above  mentioned  but  ninety-six  woodcock 
were  taken  is  significant. 

Professor  Dury  says :  "  The  game  birds  of  Ohio  and 
the  Central  States  are  being  rapidly  reduced  in  num- 
bers, and  some  species  to  the  very  verge  of  extinc- 
tion." The  ornithologist  Elliot,  in  his  recent  popular 
work  on  the  wild-fowl,  says:  "While  engaged  upon 
this  book  I  felt  that  I  was  writing  the  history  of  a 
rapidly  vanishing  race." 

Forester  referred  to  the  fact  that  the  sportsman  often 
slipped  out  the  back  way,  when  going  afield,  since  there 
was  a  prejudice  among  his  neighbors  against  all  sport, 


6  INTRODUCTION 

and  no  distinction  was  made  between  the  terms  sports- 
man and  sporting-man.  Such  puritanical  notions  no 
longer  prevail.  Sportsmanship  is  now  fashionable. 
The  sportsman  of  to-day  no  longer  slips  out  the  back 
way,  but  travels  more  often  in  a  luxurious  railway  car, 
especially  constructed  for  his  comfort  and  convenience. 
Thousands  annally  go  to  the  domain  of  the  sage-cock, 
the  sharp-tailed  grouse,  and  the  plumed  and  crested 
partridges. 

No  country  in  the  world  was  so  well  supplied  w^ith 
feathered  game.  The  largest  and  most  magnificent 
pheasant  in  the  world  (the  wild  turkey)  heads  the 
list.  There  is  a  splendid  assortment  of  grouse,  includ- 
ing the  second  largest  grouse  in  the  world,  three  fine 
grouse  of  the  open  country  and  five  wood-grouse,  one 
of  which,  the  ruffed-grouse,  is  often  called  the  king  of 
game  birds.  Bob-white  is  the  best  all  around  par- 
tridge, and  there  are  five  other  plumed  and  crested 
partridges  which  rival  in  beauty  those  of  the  Old 
World.  Fourteen  shoal-water  ducks  or  dabblers  come 
to  the  marshes,  including  the  mallard,  three  teal,  the 
gorgeous  wood-duck,  the  handsomest  duck  in  the 
world,  and  the  rest,  all  excellent  food-birds. 

The  far-famed  canvas-back  heads  the  list  of  twenty- 
four  deep-water  or  sea  ducks,  one  of  which,  the  pied- 
duck,  formerly  abundant  in  the  New  York  markets,  is 
now  unfortunately  found  only  on  museum  shelves. 
There  are  but  forty-two  specimens  in  the  world. 
The  best  of  these  are  in  the  American  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  New  York.  We  have  a  fine  assort- 
ment of  swans,  geese,  and  brant.  Turning  to  the  shore- 
birds  or  waders»  we  find  the  splendid  woodcock  and 


INTRODUCTION  7 

snipe,  the  delicious  field-plover,  and  more  than  half  a 
hundred  others,  more  or  less  desirable  as  marks  or  food. 
North  America  has  (or  had)  more  than  its  share  of  the 
wild  pigeons  of  the  world.  The  passenger  pigeon  has 
gone  never  to  return.  But  the  band-tail,  a  fine  bird, 
still  remains  in  goodly  numbers  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
and  there  are  a  number  of  other  excellent  pigeons  and 
doves  which  are  still  shot  by  sportsmen.  There  are 
two  edible  cranes.  The  king-rail  is  a  large  and  tooth- 
some bird,  and  the  smaller  varieties  all  are  good  to  eat. 

It  is  with  some  regret  that  the  writer  has  observed 
the  change  from  the  old  conditions  to  the  new.  Al- 
though clubmen  are  everywhere  cordial  and  hospitable 
and  there  are  invitations  enough  to  shoot  over  private 
preserves,  there  was  a  charm  about  the  tramp  over 
virgin  fields  when  there  were  no  game-laws,  club-rules 
or  restraints  of  any  kind,  not  soon  to  be  forgotten. 

At  the  outset  we  are  met  with  the  difficulty  of  de- 
termining what  birds  are  game.  I  have  decided  to  in- 
clude in  my  commentary  all  birds  which  are  legally 
taken  by  sportsmen,  save  one — the  robin  red-breast 
(which  is  legally  shot  and  devoured  in  some  of  the 
Southern  States) — giving  more  space  to  those  deserv- 
ing of  it.  There  are  many  which  I  would  willingly  see 
protected  at  all  times. 

My  observation  of  the  birds  is  from  the  sportsman's 
blind,  or  as  he  sees  them  in  a  tramp  across  the  field, 
with  dog  and  gun;  a  sufficient  description,  however, 
being  given  in  the  notes  at  the  end  of  the  volume 
to  enable  the  reader  to  identify  the  species.  We 
do  not  go  to  the  museums  to  compare  skins  with 
the  naturalists  in  the  hope  of  creating  a  sub-species. 


8  INTRODUCTION 

but  to  the  fields  to  shoot  over  those  still  open,  as 
well  as  on  club  grounds  and  private  preserves,  making 
some  inquiry  by  the  way  as  to  the  natural  history  of 
our  game,  and  the  new  methods  of  preservation  and 
propagation. 


II 

GUNS     AND     DOGS 

THE  advice  given  by  Polonius,  ''  Costly  thy 
habit  as  thy  purse  can  buy,"  applies  as  well  to 
guns  to-day  as  to  the  clothes  of  Hamlet's  day.  The 
sportsman  in  selecting  a  gun  will  do  well  to  purchase 
the  best  he  can  afford.  A  good  gun  will  last  a  lifetime. 
A  cheap  gun  will  soon  wear  loose  at  the  breech,  and  a 
shaky  gun  is  an  abomination.  The  locks  of  a  good  gun 
will  never  miss  fire,  and  will  work  with  the  precision  of 
a  costly  timepiece.  The  barrels  will  not  wear  out  or 
burst.  A  certain  amount  of  good  engraving  about 
the  locks  adds  to  the  beauty  of  a  gun  and  gives  it  a 
finished  look,  but  do  not  spend  money  on  the  fancy 
engraving  of  shooting  scenes  with  impossible  ducks, 
pheasants,  or  dogs  inlaid  in  gold.  The  best  guns, 
some  years  ago,  were  made  in  England,  and  a  real 
good  one  was  not  to  be  had  for  less  than  $150  to  $200. 
The  guns  have  been  much  improved  of  late  ;  there 
are  many  excellent  American  makes,  and  a  very  safe 
and  serviceable  gun  may  be  had  from  $50  up.  There 
are  much  cheaper  guns,  to  be  sure,  but  I  would  not 
advise  buying  them.  A  gun  for  general  shooting, 
when  the  sportsman  has  one  gun  only,  should  be  12- 
gauge  ;  the  barrels  thirty  inches  in  length  ;  the  weight 
seven  to  seven  and  one-half  pounds.  The  gun  should, 
of  course,  be  hammerless,  since  the  hammerless  gun 

9 


10  GUNS  AND  DOGS. 

is  by  far  the  safest.  Most  of  the  accidents  in  the 
shooting  field  have  been  caused  by  the  old-style  gun 
with  hammers.  I  have  known  of  many  accidents 
caused  by  the  hammers  catching  when  the  gun  was 
carelessly  drawn  toward  the  shooter  in  a  boat  or 
wagon.  Many  accidents  have  occurred  by  the  gun 
being  fired  by  the  dog.  A  favorite  setter  sent  a  load 
of  shot  within  an  inch  of  my  head.  I  had  put  the  gun 
down;  was  holding  it  with  one  hand  and  about  to 
open  a  gate  when  the  young,  enthusiastic  dog,  pranc- 
ing about,  put  one  foot  on  the  hammer,  raising  it  high 
enough  to  explode  the  cartridge  when  his  foot  slipped 
off. 

I  may  say,  in  passing,  that  there  should  never  be 
more  than  one  gun  in  a  duck-boat,  and  never  a  loaded 
gun  in  a  wagon,  except  when  the  wagon  is  used  to 
approach  game,  as  in  shooting  the  upland  plover,  and 
in  that  case  there  should  be  no  more  than  one  gun  in 
the  wagon  and  that  always  held  in  a  safe  position  with 
the  muzzle  pointing  outward.  I  have  always  insisted 
upon  an  inspection  of  the  guns — all  tipping  them  open 
to  show  that  they  are  empty — when  several  are  using 
a  wagon,  and  will  on  no  account  shoot  with  a  man 
who  brings  a  loaded  gun  into  a  wagon.  It  is  unnec- 
essary to  advise  a  sportsman  never  to  point  a  gun, 
loaded  or  unloaded,  at  a  person.  The  penalty  for  a 
boy's  doing  such  a  thing  should  be  the  loss  of  his  gun. 
It  is  the  unloaded  gun,  usually,  that  kills  a  companion. 
There  should  never  be  any  uncertainty  as  to  whether 
the  gun  is  loaded.  Remove  the  loads  in  getting  over 
a  fence,  especially  if  the  fence  be  at  all  shaky.  It  is  a 
safe  rule  always  to  remove  them. 


GUNS  AND   DOGS  n 

The  i6-gauge  has  many  advocates.  I  have  seen 
excellent  work  done  with  it,  and  have  found  it  h'ght 
and  serviceable  in  partridge  shooting.  Much  smaller 
bores  are  used,  but  1  do  not  think  well  of  a  smaller 
gauge  than  i6,  since  there  is  more  danger  of  wound- 
ing birds  with  small  guns,  and  the  sportsman  should 
always  try  to  kill  *'  clean."  The  14-gauge  is  very 
little  used,  but  1  have  owned  such  a  gun  and  am 
inclined  to  think  it  a  little  better  for  upland  field 
shooting  than  either  the  12  or  16,  but  the  14  is  used 
so  little  that  it  is  difficult  in  most  places  to  get  ammu- 
nition to  fit  it.  The  heavy  lo-gauge  was,  a  few  years 
ago,  carried  in  many  fields,  but  it  is  seldom  seen 
to-day  excepting  where  it  belongs,  in  the  duck  blinds, 
when  the  game  is  the  w^ild  geese  and  the  heavy- 
plumaged  sea-fowl.  Larger  guns  are  not  found  in 
the  equipment  of  many  sportsmen.  They  are  pro- 
hibited by  law  in  some  of  the  States.  The  only 
persons  who  ever  used  the  swivel-gun  or  cannon 
were  the  market  gunners,  and  the}^  have  almost  every- 
where been  put  out  of  business  by  legal  enactments. 

It  is  all  important  in  selecting  a  gun  that  it  fit  the 
shooter.  The  fit  of  the  gun  is  far  more  important 
than  the  fit  of  the  clothes.  Good  shooting  is  depend- 
ent upon  it.  A  gun  which  fits  is  said  to  "  come  up  " 
well  or  handle  well.  By  that  is  meant  that  when 
it  is  tossed  suddenly  to  the  shoulder  it  will  be  so 
poised  that  the  eye  will  see  along  the  barrel  and  the 
aim  be  true  without  further  adjustment  of  the  gun. 
Some  shooters  prefer  a  straight  stock ;  others  a 
crooked  one.  The  beginner  should  take  the  gun 
which    for    him    comes    up    the   best.      Many   years 


12  GUNS  AND   DOGS 

ago,  when  I  purchased  my  first  expensive  gun,  1 
named  the  price  I  expected  to  pay  and  had  the 
dealer  stand  out  some  twenty  or  thirty  guns  of  various 
makes,  all  good  ones,  however,  and  taking  these  one 
by  one  I  aimed  them  suddenly  at  a  small  object  of 
some  kind  in  the  store  with  both  eyes  opened,  then 
closed  one  eye  to  see  how  accurate  the  instantaneous 
aim  was.  Handling  the  guns  one  after  another  I  dis- 
carded those  at  once  that  did  not  come  up  well  and 
soon  had  but  a  half  dozen  left.  Using  these  one  after 
another  I  soon  found  one  which  seemed  to  fit  me  exactly 
and  which  had  a  fine  balance  and  was  in  every  way 
satisfactory.  With  this  gun  I  did  excellent  work  the 
first  day  I  went  into  the  field  for  partridges.  I  of 
course  obtained  a  gun  by  a  good  maker,  since  there 
were  no  bad  makers  represented  at  the  start.  But  I 
preferred  fit  to  maker.  All  the  guns  from  which  a 
selection  is  to  be  made  may  of  course  be  by  a  desired 
maker,  provided  the  stock  be  a  large  one ;  or  for  that 
matter,  a  gun  is  often  made  to  order,  the  measure  being 
taken  from  a  gun  found  to  fit.  The  good  points  about 
a  gun  are  careful  workmanship,  strength,  and  fit. 

The  gun  being  selected,  the  beginner  will  do  well  to 
bring  it  up  often  unloaded,  aiming  it  suddenly  at  small 
objects  about  the  room,  and  then  use  it  much  at  the 
inanimate  targets,  the  clay  pigeons,  which  are  thrown 
with  great  velocity  from  the  spring-traps.  Do  not  in 
practice  for  field  shooting  stand  with  the  gun  at  the 
shoulder  and  say  "  pull "  to  the  boy  at  the  trap,  but 
hold  the  gun  at  any  and  all  of  the  different  positions 
in  which  it  may  be  held  in  the  field  either  in  the  pres- 
ence of  game  or  when  walking  about.    After  giving 


GUNS  AND   DOGS  13 

the  order  to  the  boy  to  release  the  target  pitch  the 
gun  to  the  shoulder  and  fire.  It  is  often  said  that  good 
**trap-shots  "  are  not  good  ''field-shots  "  and  vice  versa. 
Of  course  a  man  cannot  go  walking  about  the  field 
with  the  butt  of  the  gun  always  at  his  shoulder.  Hence 
he  should  not  so  hold  it  when  shooting  at  the  traps  it 
he  would  become  a  good  field-shot.  He  may  be  beaten 
at  the  traps  by  the  shooter  who  holds  his  gun  at  his 
shoulder,  but  he  will  defeat  the  latter  in  the  field. 
Much  field-work,  however,  is  necessary  to  make  a  good 
field-shot. 

In  shooting  at  the  traps  I  shoot  much  at  double 
birds.  The  double  shot  in  the  field  gives  the  most 
satisfaction,  and  to  made  double  shots  one  must  be 
accustomed  to  the  quick  use  of  the  second  barrel.  In 
shooting  at  single  clay  pigeons  I  always  fire  the  sec- 
ond barrel  at  any  large  fragment  which  may  go  sailing 
away  when  the  first  shot  does  not  smash  the  target 
into  the  minute  fragments  which  one  likes  to  see. 

Books  have  been  written  about  the  use  of  guns,  but 
it  is  most  important  to  aim  quickly;  to  aim  well  over 
rising  birds  and  under  descending  ones  and  far  ahead 
of  fast-flying  marks  crossing  the  line  of  sight,  either 
directly  or  at  an  angle.  Remember  that  more  shots 
are  missed  by  shooting  behind  than  ahead  of  the  birds. 
A  few  shots  at  ducks  or  shore-birds  flying  low  over 
the  water  will  teach  the  shooter  much,  if  he  looks  to 
see  where  his  shot  strikes  the  water.  The  shooting  at 
one  duck  to  see  another  many  feet  behind  it  fall  dead 
will  be  another  lesson.  It  takes  many  lessons  to  make 
a  fine  field-shot. 

Always  shoot  with  both  eye§  open.     The  mark  is 


14  GUNS  AND   DOGS 

seen  better  and  the  rate  at  which  it  is  moving  is  more 
rapidly  estimated. 

I  shall  have  something  more  to  say  about  guns  and 
loads  in  connection  with  the  various  birds  in  the 
proper  place. 

The  dogs  used  in  upland  shooting  in  the  United 
States  are  usually  the  pointers  or  setters.  Small  span- 
iels are  used  to  some  extent  for  cock-shooting,  but  not 
so  much  as  in  England.  The  setter  and  the  pointer 
are  both  excellent  dogs.  The  "  pointer-man"  insists 
that  the  pointer  is  the  only  dog.  The  "  setter-man  " 
usually  will  have  onl}^  setters.  I  have  shot  over  both 
dogs,  in  many  fields.  The  setters,  with  their  silky 
coats,  feathered  legs  and  tails,  to  my  eye,  are  the  hand- 
somer dogs.  I  know  of  no  more  beautiful  animal  in  all 
the  kingdom,  than  a  well-marked  English  setter.  The 
long  hair,  I  admit,  collects  the  burrs,  and  the  dog  is 
often  badly  used  up  by  them,  while  but  few,  if  any, 
stick  to  the  pointer.  The  pointer  will  go  farther  in 
warm  weather,  and  without  water,  and  he  is  an  excel- 
lent dog  for  the  prairie.  The  setter  is  the  better  dog 
in  cold  weather,  since  the  pointer  shivers  whenever 
he  is  at  rest  and  it  makes  one  cold  to  look  at  him. 

Pointers  are  by  some  regarded  as  slower  dogs,  but 
the  modern  pointer  of  field-trial  stock,  will  go  like  a 
greyhound,  and  is  fast  enough  in  any  field.  I  have 
seen  them  keep  the  setters  busy  on  the  vast  Western 
prairies. 

There  is  much  talk,  now  that  field-trials  are  held 
annually  in  all  sections  of  the  country,  about  the  com- 
parative merits  of  "field-trial  dogs"   and  "shooting- 


GUNS  AND   DOGS  15 

dogs."  The  competitive  running  of  dogs  for  short 
heats  and  at  a  high  rate  of  speed  (the  dogs  going  at 
long  distances  from  the  gun),  it  is  argued,  does  not 
make  good  shooting-dogs.  Fast  wide-ranging  dogs  are 
often  lost  in  the  thickets  and  often  get  beyond  the 
range  of  the  whistle.  But  speed  and  endurance  as 
well  as  "  bird  sense"  are  the  qualities  which  go  to 
make  up  a  good  field-dog,  and  after  listening  to  the 
controversy  until  the  small  hours,  between  field-trial 
men  and  shooters,  at  the  tavern,  after  a  field  competi- 
tion, I  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  the  sports- 
man will  do  well  to  select  for  his  shooting,  a  dog  of 
field-trial  stock,  but  one  that  has  been  especially  trained, 
not  for  a  field-trial,  but  to  hunt  to  the  gun,  as  it  is 
called,  or  for  field  shooting.  The  slower  dog,  hunt- 
ing carefully  before  the  gun,  is  often  referred  to  as  a 
"  good  meat  dog."  By  that  is  meant,  of  course,  that 
more  birds  will  be  killed  over  him.  There  is  much 
force,  however,  in  the  saying  of  the  handlers;  "You 
can  teach  'em  to  stay  in,  you  can't  teach  'em  to  go  out." 
Give  me  the  field-trial  dog  with  all  his  energy  and  in- 
dustry, trained  down  to  hunt  to  the  gun  where  there  is 
cover.  On  the  vast  prairies  of  the  West,  he  cannot  go 
too  fast  or  too  far  to  suit  me,  provided  always  he  be 
stanch  on  his  point  and  will  always  hold  the  birds 
until  the  wagon  arrives. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  setters  used  in  America, 
the  English  setters,  the  Irish  setters,  and  the  Gordons. 
The  first-named  are  the  most  popular  dogs.  They  are 
of  all  colors.  The  black,  white,  and  tan,  and  the  orange 
and  white  dogs  are  to  my  eye  the  handsomest.  In  each 
case  I  like  to  see  the  head  evenly  marked,   a   broad 


i6  GUNS  AND   DOGS. 

white  line  running  from  the  nose  over  the  forehead 
and  the  legs  well  ticked  with  tan  or  orange.  Dogs  of 
medium  size,  rather  large  than  too  small,  I  like  the 
best.  They  should,  of  course,  be  well-formed,  strong 
and  muscular.  The  Irish  setters  are  dark  red,  the 
Gordons  black  and  tan.  White  dogs,  or  dogs  in  whose 
coats  the  white  predominates,  are  best,  since  they  are 
more  easily  seen  in  the  woods  and  brush.  We  hear 
much  of  "  bench-show  '*  dogs  and  "  field-dogs."  The 
dog  should  be  handsome  enough  to  win  on  the  bench 
and  good  enough  to  take  into  the  field.  Field  qualities, 
not  looks,  are  of  the  first  importance,  however.  One 
of  the  best  setters  I  ever  owned,  was  a  liver  and  white 
dog,  and  his  first  owner,  an  excellent  trainer,  had  mu- 
tilated him  by  cutting  off  part  of  his  tail  and  named 
him  Bob  in  honor  of  the  occasion.  In  the  field,  how- 
ever, he  was  a  wonder,  and  I  could  not  resist  buying 
him,  although  I  liked  neither  his  color,  his  tail,  nor  his 
name.  There  are  many  reputable  dealers  and  many 
good  trainers ;  and  some  bad  ones  unfortunately,  as 
among  horsemen. 

Dogs  of  good  pedigree  will  point  birds  without 
any  training,  and  are  not  hard  to  train  sufficiently  to 
make  good  field-dogs.  First  of  all  they  should  be 
taught  to  come  instantly  to  the  whistle.  Begin  when 
they  are  quite  young  to  have  them  associate  the  sound 
of  the  whistle  with  their  liberation  from  the  kennel, 
and  as  a  call  to  meals.  I  have  often  gone  to  my  back- 
door and  sounded  a  whistle  to  see  a  lot  of  bright-faced 
puppies  instantly  appear  at  the  stable  windows.  Hav- 
ing immediately  let  them  out  I  fed  them.  Sometimes 
I  plaged  the  food  ^t  the  other  side  of  the  house  and 


GUNS  AND   DOGS  17 

from  thence  sounded  the  whistle,  and  it  was  remark- 
able to  see  how  soon  the  puppies  learned  to  come  when 
called.  Taking  them  to  the  fields  without  a  gun,  with 
a  few  scraps  of  food  in  the  shooting-coat,  I  rewarded 
the  first  to  arrive  after  the  whistle  sounded  and  my 
dogs  soon  learned  to  come  in  as  fast  as  they  went  out. 
Meantime  teach  the  young  dogs  to  drop  or  charge  at 
command,  rewarding  them  for  quick  action,  and  to  walk 
at  heel  until  ordered  to  go  out.  Taking  the  young 
dogs  to  a  covey  of  partridges,  flush  the  birds  after  the 
dogs  have  pointed,  and  check  any  tendency  to  chase 
when  they  take  wing.  Use  a  cord  when  necessary, 
which  will  bring  the  dog  up  suddenly  when  he  runs 
the  length  of  it,  and  punish  with  the  whip,  using  it  as 
little  as  possible,  however.  Firing  a  pistol  at  some 
distance  from  feeding  puppies  will  often  prevent  the 
dogs  becoming  gun-shy,  a  serious  fault.  If  a  heavy 
load  is  fired  over  a  young  thorough-bred  dog  before  he 
is  accustomed  to  such  noise,  he  may  be  ruined.  A  gun- 
shy  dog  is  usually  worthless.  He  may  be  cured,  but  is 
more  often  not  worth  the  training.  Some  teach  their 
dogs  to  retrieve.  It  is  a  showy  performance  in  the 
field  and  I  like  to  see  it.  A  dog  should  point  the  dead 
bird  first  and  retrieve  it  upon  an  order  to  do  so,  hand- 
ling it  with  great  care.  The  danger  is  that  a  dog  will 
sooner  or  later  mouth  and  thus  mutilate  the  birds. 

There  is  much  that  is  entertaining  in  giving  young 
dogs  their  instruction,  but  a  lot  of  patience  is  required, 
and  it  takes  much  time.  All  training  should  be  persist- 
ent. A  little  every  morning  and  evening,  each  day, 
will  accomplish  more  than  a  whole  day  of  it  now  and 
then.     Stop  when  the  young  dogs  seem  to  be  getting 


i8  GUNS   AND    DOGS 

tired  of  it  and  take  it  up  again  later.  They  should  have 
their  play-time  as  well  as  their  school-time. 

In  England  and  on  the  Continent  dogs  are  especially 
trained  as  retrievers  only.  Much  of  the  shooting  is 
done  differently  there.  The  birds  are  often  driven  to- 
ward the  shooter  by  beaters  or  drivers,  and  the  re- 
trieving dog  is  kept  in  until  birds  are  shot,  and  then 
ordered  to  retrieve.  I  much  prefer  to  tramp  across 
fields  and  to  see  the  dogs  galloping  about,  indus- 
triously searching  for  the  birds,  and  stanchly  point- 
ing them,  and  last  of  all  retrieving  the  slain. 

The  cocker-spaniels  are  trained  to  hunt  close  to  the 
gun.  They  do  not  point,  but  give  tongue  when  the 
cock  takes  wing. 

For  wild-fowl  shooting,  larger  retrieving  spaniels  are 
mostly  used,  and  they  have  wonderful  noses,  and  find 
and  retrieve  the  dead  and  wounded  wild-fowl  in  the 
heaviest  rushes  and  reeds. 

The  Chesapeake  Bay  dog  is  supposed  to  be  a  cross 
between  the  Newfoundland  and  the  water  spaniel. 
They  are  strong,  heavy-coated  dogs,  especially  suited 
to  the  rough  work  in  icy  w^aters.  They  will  swim  for 
miles  among  cakes  of  floating  ice,  and  retrieve  the 
largest  wounded  goose  or  swan. 

The  beagles  are  small  dogs  resembling  hounds,  and 
are  used  like  hounds  in  packs  in  shooting  the  hares, 
usually  the  small  animal  known  as  the  common  rabbit 
or  cotton-tail.  I  shall  refer  again  to  the  dogs  and  their 
use  on  game  when  considering  the  various  birds.  Let 
the  beginner  take  the  advice  of  some  older  sportsman 
in  the  purchase  of  a  dog  and  the  selection  of  a  trainer, 
and  he  will  not  go  wrong. 


GUNS   AND   DOGS  19 

Thoroughly  broken  dogs  are  not  to  be  had  for  less 
than  $100.  Setter  and  pointer  puppies  of  excellent 
pedigree  may  be  purchased  for  $20  and  up.  Good 
trainers  usually  receive  $100  or  more  for  training  a 
dog  for  the  shooting-field  or  for  a  field  trial.  Sports- 
men who  keep  a  large  kennel,  of  course  employ  a 
handler  by  the  year.  A  field-trial  winner  is  often 
sold  for  several  thousand  dollars,  and  his  services  at 
the  stud  are  $25  or  $50,  more  often  the  last-named 
amount  if  he  has  won  first  place  in  an  important 
event. 

The  reader  who  desires  to  train  his  own  dogs  will 
find  several  good  books  on  the  subject.  **  Training  vs. 
Breaking"  by  Hammond  is  one  of  them. 


Ill 

GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES. 

THERE  are  now  in  the  United  States  many  pri- 
vate parks  and  game  preserves  where  game 
birds  are  as  carefully  propagated  and  protected  by 
individuals  as  they  are  on  the  preserves  in  England- 
There  are  also  hundreds  (I  am  almost  prepared  to  say 
thousands)  of  clubs  or  associations  formed  to  own  and 
control  the  shooting  over  vast  areas  of  both  marsh  and 
upland. 

All  of  the  private  parks  and  most  of  the  clubs  are 
of  very  recent  date.  In  Forester's  day,  as  I  have  ob- 
served, there  was  none,  and  there  is  nothing  about 
them  in  any  of  our  books  on  field-sports. 

Private  parks  or  preserves  owned  by  individuals  are 
comparatively  few  in  number  in  the  United  States,  but 
as  wealth  increases  there  will  be  more.  The  manage- 
ment of  the  private  park  is  similar  to  that  in  England. 
Game-keepers  are  employed  to  protect  the  game  from 
poachers,  to  destroy  its  natural  enemies,  and  to  feed  it 
and  care  for  it  at  all  seasons.  There  are  hatcheries 
for  the  imported  birds,  the  pheasants,  where  many 
birds  are  propagated  each  season,  as  described  in  the 
chapter  on  these  birds. 

Many  of  the  private  parks  are  miles  in  extent,  and 
contain  large  game  as  well  as  small.     Mr.  Whitney's 

80 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  21 

October  Mountain  in  the  Berkshires,  Biltmore  in  the 
South,  the  Austin  Corbin  estate  in  New  Hampshire, 
Rockefeller's  Adirondack  Park,  the  Rancocas  game- 
preserve  in  New  Jersey,  and  other  private  estates,  in- 
cluding some  of  vast  proportions  on  the  Pacific  Coast, 
have  been  created  in  the  past  few  years. 

By  far  the  greater  number  of  private  game-pre- 
serves are  in  the  hands  of  associations  or  clubs.  These 
are  of  limited  membership.  One  or  two  on  Long 
Island  and  at  Currituck  have  but  a  half-dozen  mem- 
bers. Others,  like  the  Nittany  Club  in  Pennsylvania, 
have  as  many  as  two  hundred.  The  average  mem- 
bership is  from  thirty  to  fifty. 

Some  of  the  clubs  are  composed  exclusively  of  duck- 
shooters,  and  are  formed  to  control  the  shooting  over 
marshes  where  the  wild  fowl  and  wading  birds  are  to 
be  found  when  migrating.  In  other  clubs  the  mem- 
bers are  interested  in  shooting  on  the  upland.  A  few 
of  the  clubs  have  both  kinds  of  shooting. 

They  are  all  organized  upon  somewhat  similar  lines, 
and  in  most  cases  are  incorporated  under  the  State 
law  where  the  preserve  is  situated.  The  articles  of 
incorporation  contain — 

1st.  The  name  of  the  club  or  association. 

2d.  The  object  for  which  it  is  formed,  usually — "  To 
own  and  lease  lands,  and  shooting  and  fishing  priv- 
ileges ;  to  aid  in  the  enforcement  of  game  and  fish 
laws,"  etc. 

3d.  The  number  of  members  and  shares. 

4th.  The  place  where  the  principal  office  shall  be 
located  and  the  meetings  held. 

The  constitution  and  by-laws  provide  for  the  elec- 


22  GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES 

tion  and  qualifications  of  members,  usually  that  they 
be  males  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  that  they  re- 
ceive the  vote  necessary  to  elect  them.  Two  or  three 
blackballs  are  usually  sufficient  for  rejection.  The 
officers  are  a  president,  vice-president,  secretary,  and 
treasurer,  whose  duties  are  similar  to  those  of  the 
officers  of  other  clubs.  As  a  rule,  the  shares  can  be 
sold  by  a  member  only  to  a  person  who  has  been  duly 
elected  to  membership.  The  shares  in  a  shooting  club 
are  often  issued  at  $ioo  or  $200.  In  many  of  the  clubs 
they  are  now  held  at  $5,000,  and  sell  for  even  more  in 
some  cases.  There  are  annual  dues  which  vary  in 
amount  from  $25  to  several  hundred  dollars. 

In  addition  to  the  house  committee,  whose  duties 
correspond  to  those  of  a  city  club  committee,  there 
is  a  game  and  fish  committee,  whose  duty  it  is  to  at- 
tend to  the  stocking  of  the  grounds  of  the  upland 
clubs,  to  provide  for  the  propagation  of  the  pheasants, 
and  generally  to  care  for  the  game,  employ  the  game- 
keepers, etc.  At  the  duck  clubs  this  committee  pro- 
vides for  the  feeding,  or  baiting  as  it  is  termed,  of  the 
ducks,  and  the  erection  of  the  blinds,  and  has  charge  of 
the  live  decoys  and  the  boats,  and  employs  the  super- 
intendent and  the  guides  or  punters.  One  of  the 
duties  of  the  game  committee  of  the  Wyandanch  Club 
(Long  Island)  is  to  hire  men  ''  to  plant  patches  of  grain 
to  be  left  standing."  This  committee  should  also  on 
all  upland  preserves  provide  shelter  for  the  birds  in 
the  winter  and  nesting-places  in  the  spring,  such  as 
brush-heaps,  corn-shocks,  and  brier  and  grass  patches, 
and  the  committee  should  also  see  to  the  destruction 
of  the  natural  enemies  of  the  game. 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  23 

Both  the  upland  and  the  duck  clubs  own  a  farm, 
where  the  club  buildings  are  erected  and  where  the 
superintendent  and  his  family  reside.  The  superin* 
tendent  has  charge  of  the  club  buildings  and  grounds, 
and,  with  the  aid  of  watchmen  or  guards,  prevents 
poaching  and  all  trespassing  on  the  preserve.  Where 
the  entire  preserve  is  not  owned  by  the  club  the  privi- 
lege to  shoot  over  the  marshes  and  farms  is  usually 
leased  for  a  term  of  ten  or  more  years,  with  a  privilege 
of  renewal.  It  would  be  well  always  to  have  a  privi- 
lege of  purchase  in  the  leases  at  a  fixed  price,  since  the 
ground  sometimes  becomes  valuable  in  an  unexpected 
way.  Oil,  for  example,  has  been  discovered  on  a 
game-preserve.  A  system  of  drainage  may  raise  the 
price  of  a  worthless  marsh  and  at  the  same  time  de- 
stroy the  shooting. 

Some  of  the  clubs  are  for  members  only ;  others 
permit  a  member  to  bring  his  family  to  the  club-house ; 
not,  however,  during  the  shooting  season,  and  to  bring 
guests  for  the  shooting.  At  other  clubs  a  member  is 
not  permitted  to  invite  a  guest.  Such  is  the  rule  of 
the  Ottawa  Club,  for  example.  Here  there  are  fifty 
members,  and  when  the  shooting  is  good,  there  are 
scarcely  enough  good  stands  for  all,  since  one-half  of 
the  blinds  are  always  undesirable  on  account  of  being 
on  the  windward  points  or  shores.  At  many  of  the 
clubs,  however,  the  members  are  allowed  to  invite  a 
friend  for  several  days*  shooting.  The  member  is 
always  required  to  accompany  his  guest,  and  is  held 
responsible  for  his  conduct  and  for  the  payment  of  all 
club  charges.  One  of  the  Currituck  clubs  which  I 
visited  recently  has  a  rule  allowing  a  member  to  bring 


24  GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES 

a  friend  for  two  days'  shooting,  having  first  obtained 
an  invitation  from  the  club-officers,  and  the  member  is 
charged  $5  per  diem  for  this  privilege,  and  is  required 
to  pay  the  usual  club  charge  for  board,  $1.50  per  diem- 

The  club-houses  are  often  large  and  comfortable. 
Many  of  them  are  shingled  and  are  picturesque  in 
color  and  outline.  The  main  building  always  contains 
a  large  room  with  an  open  fireplace  where  wood  is 
burned.  A  fine  view  is  to  be  had  from  many  windows. 
There  are  well-filled  bookcases,  cases  full  of  mounted 
game  birds,  easy-chairs,  and  tables  filled  with  maga- 
zines and  papers.  The  sleeping  apartments  overhead 
are  nicely  furnished  with  comfortable  beds  and  each 
has  a  fireplace  or  stove.  There  are  often  inspiring 
pictures  on  the  walls — Japanese  geese  flying  away 
from  excited  Americans,  mallards  and  other  ducks 
falling  to  the  successful  shot,  etc. 

The  superintendent  and  his  family  live  in  their  own 
house  near  by,  and  there  are  often  dormitories  or 
cottages  for  the  use  of  members  in  addition  to  the 
main  club  building.  The  superintendent  has  the  use 
of  the  club-farm,  and  at  the  duck  clubs  his  guards  or 
watchmen  have  the  privilege  of  trapping  muskrats 
and  other  animals  which  may  be  found  on  the  marsh. 
At  the  boat-house  each  member  has  room  for  his  boats, 
and  a  locker  in  which  to  keep  his  decoys,  rubber  boots, 
coats,  etc.  There  are  kennels  for  the  dogs,  and  a  club 
rule  usually  prohibits  anyone  from  using  a  member's 
dog  without  his  permission.  There  is  a  small  monthly 
charge  for  keeping  the  dogs— $3  per  month  at  the 
Wyandanch  Club,  and  for  puppies  $2  per  month  after 
they  are  two  months  old,  and  until  they  are  one  year 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  25 

old.  Since  the  distances  on  the  preserves  are  great, 
many  of  the  clubs  have  erected  one  or  more  cabins 
miles  away  from  the  club-house,  where  may  be  found 
firewood  and  a  few  canned  provisions,  a  bed  or  two, 
and  some  blankets  for  the  use  of  any  club-man  who 
may  be  out  too  late  to  return  to  the  main  club-house. 
This  has  been  found  necessary,  since  the  duck  shooting 
is  often  best  just  at  sundown,  and  on  a  dark  night  it  is 
often  impossible  to  find  one's  way  in  the  marshes. 

The  night  before  the  opening  day  of  the  season  at  a 
duck  club,  the  members  present  draw  for  positions  or 
blinds.  An  arrow  connected  with  a  weather-vane  on 
the  roof  swings  about  a  disk  on  the  ceiling  marked 
with  the  compass-points,  indicating  which  way  the 
wind  blows;  and  a  crowd  of  enthusiastic  sportsmen 
glancing  at  the  arrow,  select  by  lot  their  places  for 
the  morning's  shooting. 

Upon  his  arrival  at  the  club-house  each  member  is 
required  to  register  for  himself  and  guest,  and  the 
time  of  his  departure  is  also  noted  in  the  same  book. 
Another  important  and  interesting  book  at  all  the 
clubs  is  the  game-register,  which  contains  the  names 
of  the  birds  found  on  the  preserve.  These  are  printed 
across  the  top  of  each  page.  A  member,  at  the  end  of 
each  day,  is  required  to  enter  his  name  on  this  register, 
at  the  left-hand  side  of  the  page,  and  the  number  of 
each  kind  of  birds  shot.  At  the  right  of  the  page  is  a 
place  for  remarks  about  the  wind,  the  weather,  the 
place  where  the  shooting  was  done,  and  the  name  of 
the  attending  guide  or  punter  who  may  have  assisted 
in  gathering  the  wounded  birds,  or  possibly  the  un- 
wounded. 


26  GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES 

Scores  from  one  of  the  Lake  Erie  clubs  and  one  of 
the  clubs  at  Currituck  would  read  something  like  the 
following  : 


Date  and 

Name. 


1895,  Nov.  21 
H.  S.  A.S— . 

1895,  Nov.  15. 
J-.  H- 


1901,  Nov.  12. 
H.  C.  H.  &  son 

I9OI,  Nov     12. 

D.  E.  P—  . . . . 


T3 

"15 

1 

JS 
P!5 

3 
S 

S 

i 

20 

I 
4 

1 

1 

Q 

1 

21 

5 

1 
s 

6 

10 

1 

H 

be 
c 

1 

0 

10 

3 
2 

1 
1 

I 

0 

2 

c 
a 

.. 
7 

0 

3 
Q 

3 
Pi 

B 

i 

i 

30 

6 
117 
32 

I 

73 
17 

I 

Remarks. 


Little  mud-hole,  wind  N.E. 
Graveyard  pond,  wind  N. 


Black   water    cove,    wind 
N.  E. 


Fishers  cove. 


♦  There  are  usually  more  birds  on  the  register,  but  enough  are  here  given  to  show  the 
form. 


These  registers  are  entertaining  and  instructive  rec- 
ords, valuable  to  sportsmen  and  ornithologists  alike, 
when  they  have  been  well  kept  for  a  series  of  years,  as 
they  have  been  at  the  Crane  Creek  Club,  the  Winous 
Point  Club,  the  Princess  Anne  Club,  and  many  other 
clubs  East  and  West.  At  some  of  the  clubs  there  are 
but  few  entries  in  the  registers  at  long  intervals,  and 
they  are  correspondingly  uninteresting.  By  a  rule  of 
the  Castalia  Club  the  directors  are  instructed  to  see 
that  the  rule  requiring  members  to  register  the  fish 
and  game  taken  is  enforced.  "  And  for  that  purpose 
they  are  directed  to  require  the  keeper  to  personally 
see  that  all  members  register,  and  in  case  of  failure  so 
to  do,  or  in  case  of  their  making  erroneous  entry,  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  keeper  to  make  correct  entry 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  27 

upon  the  register  and  forthwith  report  the  infringe- 
ment of  the  rule  to  the  directors."  When  there  is  a 
rule  providing  for  a  bag  limit  per  season  as  well  as 
per  diem,  it  is  of  course  important  that  the  entries 
on  the  register  be  correct.  Birds  or  fish  taken  by  a 
guest  are  charged  against  the  member  inviting  him. 
The  Castalia  Club  has  another  good  rule  which  pro- 
vides that  shooting  or  fishing  during  the  time  when 
the  shooting  and  fishing  are  illegal,  or  prohibited  by 
the  rules  of  the  club,  shall  be  deemed  sufficient  cause 
for  expulsion  of  the  member  so  offending. 

Most  of  the  clubs  have  a  rule  which  prohibits  all 
shooting  by  the  punters,  guides,  or  attendants.  No 
rule,  I  am  satisfied,  is  more  often  broken ;  the  punter 
usually  carries  a  gun,  is  an  excellent  shot,  and  his  em- 
ployer is  often  ambitious  to  make  a  large  bag  of  birds. 
A  member  of  a  Western  club,  in  discussing  this  ques- 
tion with  me,  said  the  rule  was  enforced  at  his  club, 
but  at  one  adjoining  the  members  could  not  shoot  a 
"  little  bit,"  and  often  took  out  two  punters  to  do  the 
shooting  for  them,  and,  of  course,  made  good  scores. 

A  half-hour  later  I  was  conversing  with  the  presi- 
dent of  the  adjoining  club  referred  to,  and  he  said  the 
rule  in  their  club  was,  of  course,  strictly  observed. 
"  We  might  as  well,"  he  said,  ''  allow  our  servants  to 
drink  our  champagne  as  to  allow  the  punters  to  do  the 
shooting  which  w^e  have  secured  at  so  great  an  ex- 
pense for  ourselves.  Our  neighbors,"  he  added,  confid- 
ingly, "  do  not  observe  the  rule.  They  often  take  out 
two  or  three  men  to  do  the  shooting.  They  cannot  hit 
a  barn-door — most  of  them,  you  know,"  etc.  The 
same  day  I  related  these  contradictory  stories  to  still 


28  GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES 

another  club-man  as  something  amusing.  He,  how- 
ever, colored  slightly  and  said :  "  I  allowed  my  punter 
to  shoot  a  few  dozen  ducks  for  me  one  day,  but  I  had 
a  hard  headache  and  was  shooting  badly  in  conse- 
quence. I  do  not  believe  in  it  at  all — not  at  all."  And 
so  it  is  that  duck-murder,  like  other  kinds,  will  out. 

At  a  club  down  by  the  sea  I  saw  an  enthusiastic 
sportsman  go  out  with  two  punters,  each  armed  with 
a  heavy  gun,  and  heard  the  guns  booming  until  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  in  utter  disregard  of  the  State  law 
and  a  club-rule  which  required  that  the  shooting  cease 
at  sundown. 

At  many  of  the  clubs  the  shooting  is  excessive  and 
is  kept  up  in  the  spring,  after  the  birds  have  mated, 
with  results,  of  course,  disastrous  to  the  game.  At 
two  of  the  clubs  at  Currituck,  the  spring  shooting 
was  recently  prohibited  by  a  club  rule,  and  many  of 
the  ducks  remained  to  breed  on  the  club  property.  It 
is  estimated  that  ten  thousand  ducks  were  raised  there 
the  first  year. 

The  simplest  form  of  game-club  is  found  quite  near 
New  York.  Certain  sportsmen  of  New  Jersey  have 
combined  to  control  the  shooting  over  many  farms 
where  the  ruffed  grouse  and  partridge  live  and  where 
the  woodcock  still  come  upon  their  annual  migration. 
They  lease  the  right  to  shoot  for  a  term  of  years,  pay- 
ing no  money  rental,  but  agreeing  to  make  the  farmers 
members  of  the  association  without  the  payment  of 
dues,  to  stock  the  land  with  game,  and  to  be  responsi- 
ble for  all  damage  to  stock  and  fences,  or  of  any  kind, 
whether  it  result  from  the  acts  of  members  or  tres- 
passers.    The  association  further  agrees  to  police  the 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  29 

ground,  and  to  feed  and  care  for  the  game,  and  renew 
it  when  necessary. 

On  these  preserves,  of  which  there  are  several,  there 
are  no  club-houses.  The  members  drive  out  from 
Newark  and  the  other  cities  and  return  at  night,  or 
perhaps  find  shelter  at  the  farm-houses  on  the  club- 
grounds.  Other  upland  clubs  in  the  Middle  and  West- 
ern States  pay  a  money  rental  for  the  shooting,  usually 
sufficient  to  pay  the  taxes  on  the  land. 

Since  all  game-preserves  in  America  are  new,  many 
of  the  older  methods  of  pursuit  still  prevail.  There  is 
a  tendency,  however,  to  imitate  foreign  ways.  Sports- 
men who  a  few  years  ago  rowed  their  own  boats,  set 
their  own  decoys  and  carried  their  own  game,  are  more 
often  nowadays  accompanied  by  a  punter  who  punts 
the  boat,  places  the  decoys,  carries  the  game  and  in 
many  ways  lightens  the  burdens  of  the  sport,  and 
sometimes  loads  the  guns  and  even  does  the  shooting. 
In  England  the  ducks  have  long  been  ''disturbed"  by 
keepers  or  beaters  and  driven  to  the  guns.  At  many 
of  the  American  clubs  the  ducks  are  "  disturbed "  by 
punters,  who  punt  or  sail  a  boat  and  drive  the  birds 
from  the  open  water.  The  birds  are  usually  baited 
with  corn  or  wheat  at  given  points  where  the  blinds 
are  erected,  and  often  when  the  season  opens  are  very 
tame  and  afford  quite  easy  shots. 

In  England,  a  few  years  ago,  much  of  the  upland 
shooting  was  done  over  dogs,  the  setters  or  the  point- 
ers. It  was  in  England  that  these  dogs  were  brought 
to  the  highest  state  of  perfection,  and  all  the  best  dogs 
in  America  are  descended  from  this  English  stock.  On 
the  preserves  to-day  in  England  the  pointers  and  the 


30  GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES 

setters  are  seldom  used.  The  sportsmen  are  driven  to 
the  grounds,  each  attended  by  a  servant  to  load  his 
guns.  A  line  is  formed.  A  company  of  beaters,  under 
the  head-keeper,  armed  with  flags  on  poles  to  prevent 
the  birds  from  turning  back,  ''  moves  "  the  partridges 
and  drives  them  to  the  guns.  The  shooting  is  quite 
rapid.  The  bag  is  large.  Since  the  birds  are  under 
full  headway  when  they  reach  the  line  of  guns,  much 
skill  is  required  to  bring  them  down.  Two  guns  are 
used,  the  attendant  loading  one  while  the  other  is  dis- 
charged. When  the  shooting  is  over  the  sportsmen 
are  driven  to  the  house  of  the  owner  of  the  estate 
whose  guests  they  are. 

Mr.  A.  J.  Stuart-Wortley,  a  talented  English  sports- 
man and  writer,  says:  "  The  pointers  and  setters  have 
been  abandoned,  almost,  in  England,  on  account  of  the 
disappearance  of  the  old-fashioned  stubble."  It  seems 
strange,  however,  when  so  much  is  expended  on  the 
game,  that  sufficient  cover  is  not  provided  for  it.  In 
shooting  grouse  upon  the  moors,  the  birds  have  long 
been  driven  to  the  guns.  Retrieving  dogs  are  used 
exclusively. 

Are  the  ramble  in  the  fields  and  woods,  the  obser- 
vation of  the  well-trained  dogs,  the  chief  charms  of 
sportsmanship,  to  be  exchanged  in  America  for  a 
stand  beside  a  fence,  with  a  servant  to  load  the  guns  ? 
Such  results  may  follow  the  coming  of  the  private 
game-preserves.  Pheasants  will,  no  doubt,  be  shot  at 
an  American  battue,  since  they  often  run  before  the 
dogs.  Our  Western  grouse  may  be  driven  to  the  am- 
bushed guns.  This,  indeed,  is  not  so  bad,  since  they 
are  far  too  easy  ''  over  dogs."     Long  be  the  day,  how- 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  31 

ever,  before  the  best  game-bird  in  all  the  world,  Bob- 
white,  shall  be  clubbed  by  shouting  beaters  from  the 
fields,  and  driven  to  a  line  of  guns.  Stranger  things 
have  happened  at  the  hands  of  fashion.  I  am  inclined 
to  predict  that  the  shooting  at  driven  birds  is  not  far 
off.  From  England  came  the  epidemics  of  the  tennis- 
court  and  golf.  From  England  came  the  riding  to 
the  hounds. 

There  is  in  America  much  prejudice  against  the 
private  game-preserve,  probably  on  account  of  its  as- 
sociation with  aristocratic  and  monarchical  institutions. 
Large  country  seats  and  palatial  city  houses  have,  how- 
ever, the  same  association  without  the  game.  Prejudice 
against  the  private  game-preserve  may  prove  an  argu- 
ment in  favor  of  the  public  park  or  refuge,  and  this  is 
far  more  important  to  the  safety  of  the  game. 

In  England  the  private  parks  have  for  centuries  pre- 
served the  game.  There,  although  the  bags  are  often 
large,  the  killing  is  limited  to  the  increase  of  the  year. 
Enough  are  spared  to  restock  the  grounds.  Clubs 
there  are,  no  doubt,  in  America,  which  are  a  benefit  to 
the  game.  How  many  of  these  there  are  I  do  not  know. 
Many  there  are  which  work  a  serious  harm.  Rivalry 
and  shooting  for  count,  or  to  be  "  high  gun,"  often  re- 
sult in  a  slaughter  equal  to  or  worse  than  that  when 
the  marshes  and  fields  were  all  open  ground. 

Such  recent  records  as  the  killing  of  one  hundred 
and  four  mallards  in  a  morning  by  one  gun  on  an  Ohio 
preserve,  the  killing  of  four  hundred  teal  in  a  day  by 
four  in  Oregon,  the  killing  of  four  hundred  and  sev- 
enty mallards  by  three  guns  on  an  Illinois  preserve, 
and  the  recent  killing-  of  two  thousand  ducks  by  nine 


32  GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES 

shooters  in  a  day  in  California,  would  not  indicate  a 
desire  to  save  the  ducks.  The  fact  that  at  many  of 
the  upland  clubs  the  partridges  must  be  renewed  each 
year,  proves  that  they  fare  no  better.  The  Lake  Erie 
group  of  clubs  are  recently  reported  as  arrayed  against 
legislation  prohibiting  the  shooting  of  wild-fowl  in  the 
spring,  when,  of  course,  the  birds  should  be  allowed  to 
mate.  The  killing  of  canvas-backs  at  the  Lake  Sur- 
prise preserve  in  Texas  for  the  market  is  only  equalled 
by  the  disgraceful  performances  on  the  haciendas  in 
Mexico,  which  are  described  later.  The  recent  claim 
of  the  members  of  the  Blooming  Grove  Park  Associa- 
tion that  they  have  a  right  to  ignore  the  State  and 
federal  laws,  and  kill  and  ship  game  out  of  season,  as- 
serted in  a  federal  court,  does  not  indicate  a  desire  to 
save  the  birds. 

The  decrease  in  value  of  the  shares  in  game-pre- 
serves on  the  Chesapeake  and  elsewhere,  and  many 
other  facts,  might  be  cited  to  prove  that  private  game- 
preserves  do  not  sufficiently  protect  the  game. 

Clubs  there  are,  as  we  have  observed,  which  have 
rules  limiting  the  size  of  the  bag,  but  so  long  as  the 
birds  show  a  rapid  decrease  year  by  year  it  is  evident 
that  the  private  game-preserve  is  not  a  sufficient  safe- 
guard for  their  preservation.  Ornithological  writers 
continue  to  predict  the  extermination  of  all  game. 

The  National  Park  in  Wyoming  has  done  much  to 
save  the  elk  and  deer,  the  bison,  mountain  sheep, 
and  bears  from  extermination.  The  last  named  are 
already  amusingly  tame  and  are  taken  by  the  touring 
kodaks  every  year. 

The  State  parks  of  New  York,  in  the  Adirondacks 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  33 

and  on  Long  Island,  will  no  doubt  save  the  deer  and 
the  wood-grouse,  and,  it  may  be,  the  moose  which 
have  recently  been  restored  to  the  Northern  woods. 
National  and  State  parks  are,  however,  few  in  num- 
ber, but  the  matter  of  their  increase  now  claims  the 
attention  of  sportsmen  and  all  others  interested  in  the 
subject  of  game-preservation.  The  number  of  these 
parks  should  be  increased  in  time  to  save  the  turkey 
and  the  grouse,  the  wild-fowl  and  the  waders,  as  well 
as  the  larger  game. 

The  army  of  migratory  birds  which  annually  crosses 
the  United  States  moves  north  and  south  in  three 
divisions  ;  one  following  the  Atlantic,  one  the  Pacific 
Coast,  and  the  third  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi 
River. 

There  should  be  parks.  State  and  national,  in  Min- 
nesota, North  Dakota,  and  Montana,  to  include  small 
lakes  and  ponds  where  the  wild-fowl  still  build  their 
nests,  and  where  the  northern-grouse,  the  sharp-tails, 
and  the  great  sage-cock  could  be  safe  from  persecu- 
tion. There  should  be  parks  of  refuge  for  the  swans, 
the  geese,  and  ducks,  adjacent  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
where  these  birds  might  safely  pass  the  winter. 

The  wild-fowl  which  now  nest  in  these  Northern 
States  in  a  very  few  years  will  be  found  there  no 
more.  The  Southern  refuge  is  equally  important. 
The  slaughter,  not  alone  in  our  marshes,  but  on  the 
haciendas  of  Mexico  as  well,  is  something  beyond 
belief.  Many  of  the  ducks  which  now  go  each  winter 
to  the  "  Armadas  "  of  Mexico  to  seek  the  peace  and 
quiet  which  precedes  the  slaughter,  are  driven  from 
our  Southern  marshes  by  continued  persecution. 


34  GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES 

Ducks  have  a  strong  protective  instinct  and  have 
been  known  to  reason  well.  They  soon  learn  where 
they  are  safe,  and  an  inexpensive  refuge  in  what  is 
now  a  worthless  marsh  would  save  them  from  the 
destruction  which  awaits  them  across  the  Rio 
Grande. 

Louisiana  has  recently  prohibited  non-residents 
from  shooting  in  the  State.  Far  more  good  would 
be  accomplished  by  the  State  preserves.  There 
should  be  parks  of  refuge  in  Oregon  and  Washington, 
where  the  wild-fowl  still  remain  to  nest;  on  the  Sacra- 
mento marshes  in  California,  and  in  southern  Califor- 
nia, where  the  slaughter  in  the  winter  is  immense. 
Woodcock,  snipe,  plover,  and  many  other  shore-birds, 
cranes,  and  rails  all  resort  to  the  marshes,  and  such 
parks  as  are  here  proposed  would  surely  save  these 
birds. 

State  parks  in  the  north  of  Maine,  at  Albemarle 
or  Pamlico  in  North  Carolina,  and  in  the  Everglades 
would  save  the  wild  fowl  which  now  travel  through 
the  Eastern  States  in  sadly  diminished  numbers,  and 
probably  restore  them  to  New  England  lakes.  Had 
there  been  public  refuges  a  few  years  ago  the  pas- 
senger pigeons  which  came  like  clouds  in  the  sky  to 
the  forests  would  not  now  be  extinct.  Had  there 
been  State  parks  in  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  the  prairie- 
grouse  would  be  found  in  their  fields  to-day. 

For  many  reasons  the  game-refuges  should  be  un- 
der the  control  of  the  National  Government.  Since  it 
has  been  legally  held  that  the  ownership  of  the  game 
is  in  the  State,  uniform  national  laws  for  its  preserva- 
tion, which  have  been  proposed  from  time  to  time,  can- 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  35 

not  be  enacted.  The  game-laws  being  therefore  State 
laws,  there  is  a  deplorable  lack  of  uniformity.  New 
England  awakens  to  the  fact  that  the  magnificent  wood- 
cock is  a  vanishing  bird,  and  stops  the  summer  shoot- 
ing ;  but  the  birds,  more  tame  on  that  account,  fall  an 
easy  prey  to  the  market-gunners,  who,  in  most  of  the 
Southern  States,  may  shoot  them  after  they  have 
paired  in  the  spring.  A  State  park  for  ducks  in  Da- 
kota would  be  of  little  benefit  to  the  birds  without 
similar  refuges  in  Tennessee  and  Arkansas  and  on  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico. 

While  there  is  a  legal  difficulty  in  the  way  of  uni- 
form national  laws  to  preserve  the  game,  no  such  dif- 
ficulty appears  to  prevent  the  creation  of  the  national 
game-preserves.  The  United  States  has  its  post- 
offices  and  public  buildings  in  all  the  States  of  the 
Union.  Its  jurisdiction  over  the  land  on  which  they 
stand  is  exclusive.  The  United  States  has  its  park  in 
Wyoming,  and  it  is  a  source  of  pride  and  profit  to  the 
State.  When  the  National  Government  proposes  to 
establish  a  marine  hospital  in  one  of  the  States,  the 
Governor  of  the  State  is  asked  to  have  the  necessary 
legislation  passed  ceding  the  jurisdiction  of  his  State 
in  the  property  to  the  National  Government.  A  short 
bill  is  prepared  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Governor,  and 
is  promptly  passed  by  the  State  to  be  benefited.  I 
introduced  such  a  bill  at  the  request  of  the  Governor 
in  the  Assembly  of  Ohio,  and  it  passed  the  same  day 
under  a  suspension  of  the  rules.  Bills  ceding  the  State 
jurisdiction  over  game-refuges  would,  no  doubt,  pass 
in  the  same  way. 

Again,  the  control  of  the  game-preserves  by  the 


36  GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES 

National  Government  is  best,  since  for  some  reason 
national  laws  are  the  more  closely  observed  and 
readily  obeyed.  Local  liquor  laws,  for  example,  are 
often  evaded,  but  there  is  not  a  tavern  in  the  land 
which  has  not  the  license  of  Uncle  Samuel  framed 
and  hanging  on  the  wall,  to  indicate  that  the  tax  is 
paid. 

The  cost  of  the  proposed  game-preserves  for  birds 
is  inconsiderable.  The  best  places  are  the  wildest, 
the  most  inaccessible,  the  cheapest ;  many  of  them  of 
necessity  are  largely  covered  with  water — worthless 
marshes,  such  as  are  seen  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  elsewhere. 

The  title  to  many  good  places  for  game-refuges  is 
now  in  the  National  Government. 

The  cost  of  maintenance  of  such  parks  would 
amount  to  little.  The  keeper's  compensation,  as  at  the 
clubs,  would  be  in  part,  at  least,  the  right  to  farm  the 
arable  portions  of  the  preserve.  Few  keepers  would 
be  necessary  if  it  were  known  that  the  Secret  Service 
was  prepared  to  report  offenders. 

The  tendency  of  legislation,  national  and  State,  is 
toward  the  protection  of  the  game.  The  Commis- 
sioner of  Agriculture  has  recently  been  given  certain 
powers  looking  toward  its  restoration.  Restoration, 
however,  to  open  fields  and  a  vast  army  of  modern 
guns,  would  amount  to  nothing.  The  remedy  is  the 
national  game-preserve. 

Thirty-one  States  have  game -commissioners,  or 
other  officers  whose  duty  it  is  to  preserve  and,  in  some 
States,  propagate  the  game.  There  are  ten  national 
and   forty-three   State   organizations   concerned  with 


GAME  CLUBS,  PARKS,  AND  PRESERVES  37 

the  protection  of  birds  and  game,  besides  the  Audubon 
societies  in  twenty-nine  States,  but  the  destruction  still 
goes  on,  with  improved  weapons  and  appliances,  and 
until  the  birds  have  the  needed  refuge  the  danger  of 
their  total  disappearance  will  remain. 


BOOK  I 
GALLINACEOUS    BIRDS 


IV 

GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS 

THE  game  birds  of  North  America  which  most 
interest  sportsmen  are  included  in  the  orders 
GallincE,  birds  of  the  cock  or  rooster  type,  the  tur- 
keys, grouse,  pheasants,  and  partridges  :  Anatidce,  the 
swimmers — the  geese,  ducks  and  brant ;  and  Limicolce — 
the  shore-birds  or  waders,  the  snipes,  sandpipers, 
plovers,  etc.  First  in  importance  is  the  order  Gallince. 
The  turkeys,  grouse,  and  partridges  are  indigenous,  but 
there  are  no  quails  in  North  America.  The  ducks 
are  by  many  given  first  place  and  duck-shooters 
insist  their  sport  is  first  and  best.  There  are 
a  few  splendid  birds,  such  as  the  woodcock,  snipe 
and  some  of  the  plovers  and  sandpipers  in  the  remain- 
ing order  of  shore-birds.  In  addition  to  the  birds 
included  in  these  three  principal  orders,  there  are 
the  wild  pigeons,  the  cranes  and  rails,  and  the  reed 
birds. 

The  gallinaceous  birds  are  divided  by  ornitholo- 
gists into  the  Gallince  and  the  Phasianidce.  The 
former  term  includes  the  grouse,  partridges,  and 
quails ;  the  latter  includes  the  pheasants.  The  wild 
turkey  is  the  only  true  pheasant  indigenous  to  North 
America.  We  have  recently  added  two  more  to  our 
fauna  by  importation — the  Mongolian,  or  ring-neck, 
•       41 


42  GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS 

from  China,  and  the  English  pheasant,  descended 
from  the  same  stock,  which  has  long  been  a  familiar 
game  bird  in  England  and  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 

Gallinaceous  birds  are  all  taken  by  pursuit.  Most 
of  them  are  shot  over  dogs,  which  seek  and  follow 
them  by  means  of  their  scent,  and  which  point  them 
when  found.  For  gallinaceous  game  the  sportsman 
usually  tramps  across  the  fields  with  thorough-bred 
setters  or  pointers  ranging  ahead,  and  the  observa- 
tion of  these  handsome,  intelligent  companions  is, 
in  my  judgment,  more  than  half  the  fun.  The  tramp 
across  the  fields  and  into  the  beautiful  autumn  woods 
when  the  frost  is  in  the  air,  is  for  me  the  most 
desirable  form  of  field  sports.  For  men  who  do 
not  walk  and  climb  the  fences  well  the  ambush 
is  more  suitable.  Do  not  think  for  a  moment  I  would 
decry  the  sport.  I  have  shot  nearly  every  duck 
that  flies ;  have  spent  days  in  the  blinds  both  for 
the  sea-ducks  and  the  so-called  river-diicks  of  the 
interior ;  I  have  been  out  in  all  kinds  of  weather,  long 
before  daybreak  and  long  after  dark  (before  the  laws 
prohibited  night  shooting),  and  have  had  some  splen- 
did shooting  at  the  ducks.  I  prefer  the  upland  shoot- 
ing, since  I  prefer  pursuit  to  ambush  and  enjoy  the 
company  and  performance  of  setters  more  than  of 
retrievers.  I  am  thoroughly  in  accord  with  those  who 
have  given  to  the  gallinaceous  birds  the  title :  "  True 
game   birds.** 

The  grouse,  partridge,  turkeys,  and  pheasants 
are  all  terrestrial  birds  and  live  and  nest  upon 
the  ground.  Turkeys  and  pheasants  roost  in  the 
branches     of    trees,    as    do    their    descendants,    the 


GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS  43 

turkeys  and  chickens  of  the  barn-yards.  Although 
the  grouse  are  referred  to  as  hens  and  chickens 
(prairie-hen,  spruce-hen,  wood-heath-hen,  sharp-tailed- 
chicken,  sage-hen,  etc.),  they  are  not  related  to  the 
domestic  poultry,  which  is  all  descended  from  the 
pheasants. 

The  legs  of  the  turkeys,  pheasants,  and  partridges 
are  naked,  but  the  grouse  all  have  the  shank  or  tarsus 
covered  with  feathers  ;  in  some  varieties  even  to  the 
toes,  as  a  protection  against  the  snow.  Sports- 
men will  do  well  to  remember  this  difference,  and 
looking  at  the  feathered  legs  of  the  ruffed-grouse  they 
will  no  longer  erroneously  call  the  birds  partridges, 
as  many  do  in  New  England,  or  pheasants,  as  many 
do  in  Ohio  and  throughout  the  West  and  South. 
Such  misnomers  are  bad  enough  when  used  by.  boys 
beyond  the  reach  of  schools.  They  should  never  be 
used  by  sportsmen. 

Bryant  says  of  the  ruffed-grouse : 

"  Partridge  they  call  him  by  our  Northern  streams 
and  pheasant  by  the  Delaware." 

Forester  says  he  has  a  very  good  name  of  his  own — 
ruffed-grouse.  Gallinaceous  birds  all  lie  to  the  dogs, 
excepting  the  turkeys,  and  they  do  so  at  times.  They 
arise  from  the  ground  with  the  loud  and  startling  roar 
of  wings  so  disconcerting  to  beginners,  and  fly  in 
straight  or  curving  lines.  The  smaller  birds  are 
more  difficult,  and  on  that  account  better  marks  than 
the  grouse  of  the  open  country. 

All  gallinaceous  birds  are  found  associated  in 
flocks,  termed  covies  or  bevies.  Late  in  the  fall  the 
grouse  of  the  open  country  associate  into  vast  flocks, 


44  GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS 

termed  packs,  and  it  is  then  next  to  impossible  to 
approach  them.     The  wood-grouse  never  pack. 

The  flesh  of  all  the  gallinaceous  birds  is  excellent. 
They  never  have  the  sedgy  or  fishy  taste  which  some 
ducks  and  shore-birds  have  at  times  ;  but  the  grouse 
which  live  in  the  woods  have  a  bitter  taste  when 
eating  the  spruce  buds,  and  the  great  sage-grouse 
of  the  Western  desert  has  often  a  decided  flavor  of 
the  artemesia  or  wild  sage.  There  are  in  all  forty-two 
species  and  sub-species  found  in  North  America,  but 
many  of  these  are  much  alike,  and  from  the  sports- 
man's view-point  there  are  but  sixteen  birds — the  wild 
turkey,  three  grouse  of  the  open  country,  the  prairie- 
grouse,  the  sharp-tailed-grouse,  and  the  sage-grouse ; 
four  grouse  of  the  woods  and  mountains,  the  ruffed- 
grouse,  Canada-grouse,  blue-grouse  and  ptarmigan ; 
two  imported  pheasants,  the  Mongolian  and  English, 
and  six  partridges,  the  California  Valley  partridge, 
the  mountain  partridge,  the  scaled  partridge,  Gam- 
bel's  partridge,  the  Massena  partridge,  and  last  and 
best.  Bob-white.  There  are  two  additional  Bob-whites 
which  are  found  in  the  Southwest  and  Mexico,  so 
different  in  their  markings  as  to  be  worthy  of  special 
notice.  These  are  pictured  and  described.  We  first 
go  in  pursuit  of  the  turkeys  and  their  relatives,  the 
pheasants ;  then  to  the  prairies  and  woods  for  the 
grouse  and  to  the  fields  for  the  partridges. 

The  ornithologists  now  having  agreed  that  there 
are  no  quails  in  North  America,  I  would  strongly 
urge  the  sportsmen  to  drop  the  terms  '*  quail  "  and 
"  quail-shooting."  It  being  evident  that  the  ruffed- 
grouse,  with  his  feathered  legs,  is  not  a  pheasant  or 


GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS  45 

a  partridge,  let  us  all  pull  together  and  endeavor  to 
see  that  the  bird  has  his  proper  name.  This  is  the 
more  important  now  that  we  may  shoot  the  true 
pheasants  with  their  bright  plumage,  long  tails,  and 
naked  legs,  in  the  same  covers  with  the  woodland- 
grouse. 


THE   WILD   TURKEY 

ANYONE  who  has  seen  a  wild  turkey  strutting  in 
the  sunlight,  his  bronze  feathers  gleaming  with 
a  metallic  lustre  and  reflecting  rays  of  deep  purple, 
red,  green,  and  blue,  will  be  prepared  to  agree  with 
the  ornithologists  that  he  is  a  pheasant.  The  wild 
turkey,  in  pattern  and  markings,  is  similar  to  the  domes- 
ticated bird,  but  he  is  far  handsomer.  Wild  turkeys 
often  are  very  heavy ;  there  are  records  of  birds  weigh- 
ing as  much  as  twenty-five  and  thirty  pounds.  The 
flesh  is  even  finer  than  that  of  the  tame  bird,  and 
without  doubt  the  turkey  is  the  largest  and  most  mag- 
nificent game  bird  in  the  world  and  one  of  the  best,  if 
not  the  best,  of  food  birds.  The  wild  turkey  is  indig- 
enous to  the  Western  hemisphere  alone ;  the  other 
pheasants  are  found  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe, 
except  the  two  recently  introduced  into  the  United 
States. 

The  range  of  the  turkey  given  in  the  check  list  of 
the  American  Ornithological  Union  is : — "  United 
States  from  Chesapeake  Bay  to  Gulf  Coast,  and  west 
to  the  plains,  along  wooded  river  valleys,  formerly 
north  to  Southern  Maine,  Southern  Ontario,  and  up  the 
Missouri  River  to  North  Dakota."  Three  other  varie- 
ties of  turkey  are  listed,  all  with  a  more  limited  range : 
The  Mexican  turkey,  the  Florida  turkey,  and  the  Rio 

46 


THE   WILD   TURKEY  47 

Grande  turkey.  These  are,  however,  so  much  alike 
as  to  be  the  same  bird  to  a  sportsman.  In  fact  it 
would  take  a  very  expert  ornithologist,  I  am  satisfied, 
to  distinguish  the  species  where  the  birds  are  associ- 
ated and  have  no  doubt  intermarried.  The  wild  turkey 
is  an  extinct  bird  in  many  of  the  Northern  and  Eastern 
States,  and  is  nowhere  found  in  any  numbers  save  in  a 
few  places  in  the  South  and  Southwest.  It  is  difficult 
to  realize  the  numbers  which  existed  some  years  ago. 
William  F.  Cody  (Buffalo  Bill)  thus  describes  the  abun- 
dance of  the  turkeys  in  the  West:  "While  at  this 
camp  we  had  a  lively  turkey  hunt.  The  trees  along 
the  banks  of  the  stream  were  literally  alive  with  wild 
turkeys,  and  after  unsaddling  the  horses,  between  two 
and  three  hundred  soldiers  surrounded  a  grove  of  tim- 
ber and  had  a  grand  turkey  round-up,  killing  four  or 
five  hundred  of  the  birds  with  guns,  clubs,  and  stones. 
Of  course  we  had  turkey  in  every  style  after  this  hunt 
— roast  turkey,  boiled  turkey,  fried  turkey,  '  turkey 
on  toast '  and  so  on  ;  and  we  appropriately  called  this 
place  Camp  Turkey."  They  were  probably  as  abun- 
dant in  the  Indian  Territory  a  few  years  ago  as  any- 
where. My  brother  found  them  fairly  abundant  in 
Southern  Texas,  and  there  are  places  in  the  Gulf  States 
where  there  are  still  some  turkeys.  A  few  remain  in 
the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Virginias. 
Like  the  other  game  birds,  before  they  became  intimate 
with  man  they  were  so  tame  as  to  be  called  stupid. 
Irving,  in  his  "  Tour  on  the  Prairies,**  so  refers  to  them. 
I  found  a  few  turkeys  when  partridge  shooting  a 
few  years  ago  in  Northwestern  Ohio  and  twice  the 
dogs  pointed  them.     I  saw  one  killed  over  a  point  in 


48  GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS 

Indiana  where  we  expected  a  woodcock  to  spring 
before  the  dog.  Forester  says  turkeys  never  lie 
close  enough  to  be  pointed  by  pointers  or  set- 
ters or  to  be  shot  on  the  wing.  This  was  no  doubt 
true  of  the  few  birds  remaining  in  the  Eastern  States 
in  Forester's  day,  but  I  have  repeatedly  seen  the  dogs 
stand  turkeys  and  have  several  times  seen  them 
killed  on  the  wing  like  partridges.  It  is  most  unusual, 
however.  The  turkeys  that  survive  are  all  extremely 
wild  and  wary,  and  the  utmost  skill  is  required  to  stalk 
them  in  the  forest. 

As  objects  of  pursuit  I  do  not  much  care  for  them, 
for  the  reason  that  they  do  not  lie  well  to  the  dogs. 
I  much  prefer  the  open  tramp  behind  the  setters  to 
the  covert  stalking  of  any  game,  when  one  moves  but 
a  half  step  at  a  time,  with  the  utmost  caution,  striving 
not  to  make  the  slightest  noise.  It  may  be  that  I  do  not 
care  for  stalking  turkeys,  since  lam  not  very  good  at  it, 
but  I  am  quite  sure  that  were  I  successful,  I  would 
still  be  found  with  the  dogs,  I  had  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  learn  the  turkey  shooter's  methods,  when 
shooting  partridges  several  seasons  with  a  sportsman 
devoted  to  turkey  shooting,  but  we  usually  parted 
company  when  he  discovered  turkey  signs. 

Another  objection  I  have  to  turkey  shooting  is  the 
long  time  between  shots.  To  one  accustomed  to  using 
from  fifty  to  a  hundred  shells  in  a  day,  and  the  lively 
work  with  the  prairie  grouse,  partridges,  ducks,  or  snipe 
a  single  shot  in  a  week,  or  perhaps  no  shooting  at  all, 
seems  slow.  I  must  admit  that  there  is  much  skill  dis- 
played in  fairly  outwitting  the  turkey  of  to-day,  and 
the  sportsman  who  kills  one  has  every  reason  to  be 


THE   WILD   TURKEY  49 

proud  of  his  achievement,  and  is  deserving  of  the  mag- 
nificent prize  he  obtains.  There  are  several  methods 
of  capturing  turkeys  other  than  stalking  them.  The 
most  familiar  is  calling  them  up  to  an  ambush  by 
means  of  an  imitation  of  their  gobble.  Some  turkey 
shooters  become  very  expert  at  this,  and  can  call  the 
turkeys  within  a  few  feet  of  their  guns.  The  turkey-call 
is  usually  made  of  the  wing-bone  of  the  bird.  Often 
the  sound  is  produced  by  the  vibration  of  a  leaf  placed 
against  the  mouth.  The  gobble  is  sounded  at  intervals 
when  a  bird  responds,  and  there  is  considerable  excite- 
ment while  the  wild,  wary  birds  are  approaching,  but 
when  they  step  out  in  an  open  place  a  short  distance 
from  the  gun,  the  sitting  shot  is  an  easy  one,  and  the 
flying  marks  present  no  great  difficulty  for  the  second 
barrel. 

Turkeys  are  often  shot  with  the  rifle,  the  aim  being 
at  the  head,  so  as  not  to  destroy  the  flesh.  Such  shots 
are  often  at  long  range,  and  difficult.  Before  the  turkeys 
were  too  wild,  a  dog  was  of  service  to  tree  them,  in  the 
same  manner  dogs  are  used  in  some  woods  to  tree  the 
ruffed-grouse,  when  of  course,  the  bird  is  shot  sitting. 

Another  method  of  taking  turkeys  is  to  shoot  them 
on  moonlight  nights  when  they  are  roosting  in  the 
trees.  There  are  many  accounts  of  this  night-shooting 
in  the  river  bottoms  of  the  Southwest,  but  when  one 
stops  to  think  of  it,  it  is  unsportsmanlike  to  shoot  any 
bird  after  it  has  gone  to  sleep,  and  such  shooting  is  now 
prohibited  in  many  of  the  States.  Shortly  after  leav- 
ing the  roost,  the  turkeys  are  on  the  ground  busily 
engaged  in  feeding,  and  they  are  then  more  easy  to 
find  and  approach  than  |^ter  in  the  day. 


so  GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS 

There  are  some  turkeys  in  the  great  preserve  of  the 
Nittany  Club  in  Pennsylvania,  and  here,  if  anywhere 
in  the  North,  I  believe  by  proper  care  the  turkeys 
might  be  made  to  show  an  increase.  Turkeys  are 
great  wanderers,  but  the  preserve  of  this  club  is  miles 
in  extent,  and  if  a  lot  of  new  birds  could  be  procured 
and  protected,  there  no  doubt  would  be  in  a  few  years 
enough  turkeys  for  the  club  members  to  kill  one  now 
and  then  when  in  pursuit  of  other  game — possibly  over 
a  point.  Some  tame  birds  of  the  bronze  variety  closely 
resembling  the  wild  ones  might  be  turned  out  in  the 
farms  preserved  by  the  club,  and  these  would  aid  in 
keeping  the  wild  birds  on  the  preserve,  and  would  most 
likely  soon  be  found  associating  with  them.  A  wild  tur- 
key is  a  great  prize  in  any  bag.  His  appearance  would 
cause  rejoicing  at  the  club  table.  I  heard  of  a  few  flocks 
in  the  mountains  of  Western  Pennsylvania  a  year  ago, 
and  had  an  invitation  to  go  in  pursuit  of  them  ;  there 
were  ruffed-grouse  in  the  same  woods,  a  few  woodcock, 
and  a  few  coveys  of  partridges  in  the  valleys.  A  friend 
who  shot  over  the  ground,  assured  me  there  could  be 
no  doubt  about  the  turkeys  being  there,  and  I  am 
always  glad  to  learn  of  the  existence  of  these  birds  any- 
where. Their  extermination  seemed  certain  a  few 
years  ago.  Unless  they  be  preserved  on  some  of  the 
club  grounds,  I  fear  they  will  vanish  as  completely  as 
did  the  buffalo  and  wild  passenger  pigeon.  In  the 
West  the  turkeys  are  pursued  with  gre3^hounds,  but 
I  have  never  witnessed  this  sport.  The  birds  are 
repeatedly  driven  into  the  air,  each  flight  being  shorter, 
until  finally  the  dogs  overtake  one. 

Turkey  shooting  is  a  most  uncertain  sport.     When 


THE  WILD   TURKEY  51 

I  wrote  "  In  Brush,  Sedge,  and  Stubble,"  since  repub- 
lished as  "  The  True  Game  Birds,"  I  referred  to  my 
experience  in  the  Ozark  Mountains  with  a  local  sports- 
man who  knew  the  woods.  I  spent  several  days  look- 
ing for  turkeys  but  did  not  see  a  bird.  We  were  in- 
formed that  in  our  absence  a  boy  had  killed  one  with 
a  stone,  from  a  small  flock  which  appeared  in  the 
village. 


VI 

THE  PHEASANTS 

ALTHOUGH  the  pheasants  were  introduced 
and  naturalized  in  England  more  than  eight 
hundred  years  ago,  there  was  not  a  pheasant  in  the 
United  States  prior  to  the  year  1881,  excepting,  of 
course,  the  wild  turkey.  It  was  through  the  efforts  of 
our  Consul-General  at  Shanghai,  Judge  Denny,  of 
Oregon,  that  the  birds  were  first  introduced  into  the 
United  States.  His  first  experiment  was  a  failure,  but 
the  next  year  he  was  successful  with  the  birds  shipped 
to  his  brother,  Mr.  John  Denny,  of  Albany,  Oregon. 
Many  of  the  birds  survived  and  were  liberated  on  his 
farm,  near  Patterson's  Butte.  Being  protected  for  a 
number  of  years  by  legislation,  they  became  abundant 
and  the  pheasant  is  now  a  common  game  bird  on  the 
Pacific  Coast. 

Many  sportsmen  became  interested  in  this  bird  and 
it  was  soon  introduced  into  many  of  the  Eastern  States, 
and  protected  everywhere  for  a  period  of  years.  A 
number  of  pheasant  farms  and  hatcheries  were  started, 
and  they  found  it  difficult  to  supply  the  demand  for 
birds  and  eggs.  In  some  of  the  States  the  propagation 
of  these  birds  was  undertaken  by  the  State  game  com- 
missioners. The  clubs  have  liberated  pheasants  on 
their   preserves,    and    many    individuals    throughout 

52 


THE   PHEASANTS  53 

America  are  interested  in  raising  them  to  stock  their 
private  shooting  grounds. 

In  many  of  the  States  the  close  period  is  now  about 
to  expire,  and  the  pheasant  will  be  shot  with  the  other 
game  birds,  but  I  doubt  much  if  they  will  anywhere 
survive  in  the  Eastern  States,  save  on  the  preserves. 
The  birds  are  large  and  noticeable  on  account  of  their 
bright  plumage,  and  although  swift  flyers  they  are  not 
very  difficult  marks;  and  in  localities  where  there  are 
several  shooters  in  each  field  the  moment  the  season 
opens,  and  often  before,  with  dogs  of  all  sorts,  I  do  not 
see  how  the  pheasants  can  possibly  escape. 

It  would  seem  that  the  climate  of  our  country,  at  least 
that  of  most  of  the  States,  is  even  more  favorable  to 
these  beautiful  fowls  of  the  Orient,  than  that  of  England. 
Since  the  birds  have  been  successfully  propagated 
there  for  centuries  (and  although  the  shooting  has 
been  excessive  in  England  and  on  the  Continent  of 
Europe)  there  is  each  year  an  abundance  of  birds  in 
the  preserves,  I  see  no  reason  why  they  should  not 
do  well  everywhere  in  America  where  there  are  clubs 
or  preserves.  To-day  I  notice  in  a  morning  paper  this 
telegram  from  Paris  :  "  Count  Boni  de  Castellane  enter- 
tained King  Carlos,  of  Portugal,  at  a  shooting  party 
yesterday,  at  the  Chateau  Marais,  near  St.  Cheron. 
The  bag  includes  four  hundred  and  sixty-one  pheas- 
ants." Royalty  everywhere  is  very  fond  of  pheasants, 
and  of  all  shooting,  for  that  matter,  and  the  foregoing  is 
not  an  extraordinary  bag,  but  large  enough  to  show 
how  successfully  the  birds  have  been  introduced  and 
propagated  in  other  countries. 

The  shooting  clubs  of  the  Eastern  States  have  been 


54  GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS 

successful  with  the  pheasants,  and  some  of  them  already 
have  very  good  shooting.  I  am  informed  that  at  one 
of  the  clubs  on  Long  Island  the  shooting  is  now  as 
good  or  better  than  that  to  be  had  on  most  English 
estates  of  similar  size.  This  club  each  year  releases 
about  two  thousand  birds  in  the  covers,  which  have 
been  bred  on  neighboring  farms.  In  Ohio,  the  pheas- 
ants are  propagated  by  the  State,  and  distributed  each 
year.  Many  of  the  Ohio  clubs  have  also  liberated 
pheasants  on  their  preserves,  and  they  are  now  abun- 
dant in  many  places,  more  especially  on  the  grounds  of 
the  duck  clubs  which  control  the  shooting  on  the 
marshes  south  of  Lake  Erie.  The  heavy  sedge  seems 
to  offer  a  safe  refuge  for  the  birds,  and  no  doubt  pro- 
tects them  from  hawks  and  other  enemies.  The  shoot, 
ing  is  not  yet  open  in  Ohio,  but  last  year,  when  sketch, 
ing  in  the  marshes,  I  saw  many  pheasants,  which  (as  I 
came  upon  them  in  fields  or  in  the  paths  through  the 
sedge)  flew  away  with  a  loud  clucking  like  the  prairie- 
grouse,  presenting  about  the  same,  or  little  more  diffi- 
cult marks. 

Although  only  about  twenty-five  birds  were  liberated 
on  the  grounds  of  the  Ottawa  Club  (Sandusky)  and 
there  has  been  no  effort  made  toward  propagation, 
they  have  increased  rapidly,  and  there  are  now  thou- 
sands of  birds  on  their  preserve. 

In  England  and  the  older  countries  the  shooting  of 
pheasants  is  largely  done  at  the  battue^  and  a  recent 
writer  for  Harper  s  Weekly  (I  don't  know  who,  since  the 
article  was  unsigned)  well  says :  "  It  used  to  be  the 
fashion  to  sneer  at  the  battue  ;  men  who  had  killed  big 
game  in  the  forest  laughed  at  the  picture  of  good  King 


THE   PHEASANTS  55 

Edward  sitting  in  an  arm-chair  potting  half-tame 
pheasants,  but  there  is  no  kind  of  shooting,  I  think,  that 
requires  surer  marksmanship  than  the  battue  as  it  is 
practised  in  the  national  preserves  of  Rambouillet.  It 
is  not  a  wild  sport,  but  it  is  a  sport  in  which  skill  is 
everything.  Its  sporting  equation  would  be :  *  The 
battue  is  to  stalking  grizzlies  as  billiards  is  to  football.' 
I  have  shot  prairie  chickens  over  a  good  red  setter  in 
the  stubble  of  Wisconsin  fields,  and  have  had  my  day 
in  a  boat  on  the  reeds  for  wild  ducks ;  now,  believe  me, 
in  neither  instance  does  the  game  have  so  fair  a  chance 
for  his  life  as  he  does  in  a  battue,  when  he  is  flagged 
out  of  the  bush  or  copse  and  driven  down  upon  your 
gun.  Far  less  destructive  than  shooting  over  dogs,  it 
is  therefore  more  sportsmanly.  This  is  especially  the 
case  when  pheasants  are  in  play."  The  writer  de- 
scribes a  battue  at  which  M.  Loubet,  the  President  of 
France,  was  the  principal  shooter. 

In  America  pheasants  are  usually  shot  over  dogs. 
We  are  good  imitators,  however.  Something  like  the 
fox-hunting  of  England  is  seen  on  Long  Island  and 
elsewhere,  and  I  predict  it  will  not  be  long  before  the 
pheasants  are  shot  at  the  battues  on  October  Mountain 
and  on  the  other  vast  country  estates  now  owned  by 
American  men  who  can  afford  them.  A  member  of 
one  park  association  recently  informed  me  that  on  that 
preserve  the  pheasants  are  held  in  captivity  until  a 
member  of  the  club  notifies  the  game-keeper  that  he  is 
coming.  Thereupon  the  few  birds  which  each  member 
is  allowed  to  shoot  are  placed  out  in  a  field  and  he  is 
informed  exactly  where  and  proceeds  to  shoot  them. 
I  said  nothing  when  this  information  was  imparted  ; 


56  GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS 

but  my  informant  added :  "  It  does  seem  a  little  funny, 
does  it  not? "     I  replied  that  it  did  ! 

The  domestic  hens  are  found  to  be  valuable  assistants 
in  the  raising  of  young  pheasants.  The  eggs  laid  by 
the  pheasants  are  removed  and  placed  under  the  hens  in 
little  boxes  in  a  house,  where  many  hens  may  be  seen 
at  once  sitting  on  as  many  as  twenty  eggs  each.  The 
little  chicks  with  their  foster-mothers  are  put  out  in 
coops  where  the  chicks  can  run  about  in  the  grass. 
Pheasants  are  polygamous  and  one  cock  is  usually 
penned  with  a  number  of  hens.  If  more  than  one  cock 
is  placed  in  an  inclosure  they  will  spend  much  of  their 
time  in  fighting,  since  they  are  very  pugnacious.  Wal- 
lace Evans,  of  the  game  propagating  farm  near  Chicago, 
says  that  if  the  cocks  are  permitted  to  occupy  the  same 
inclosure  during  the  breeding  season  they  will  fight  al- 
most constantly,  to  the  utter  neglect  of  their  conjugal 
duties.  The  hens  commence  laying  about  April  15th, 
the  date  depending  somewhat  upon  the  weather;  and 
each  hen  lays  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  eggs  in  a  season 
if  properly  fed  and  cared  for,  thus  furnishing  the  breeder 
with  several  settings  of  eggs  every  spring.  The  eggs 
are  gathered  daily  and  set  under  the  hens  sometimes  as 
late  as  July.  The  period  of  incubation  is  about  twenty- 
one  days.  The  young  birds  are  fed  on  boiled  custard 
for  a  few  days.  Mr.  Evans  advises  the  removal  of  the 
foster-mother  and  her  brood  when  the  poults  are  some 
three  or  four  days  old,  and  that  their  food  be  changed 
slightly  ;  the  custard  being  fed  once  daily  and  one  meal 
being  of  finely  chopped  hard-boiled  eggs.  As  the  poults 
begin  to  show  strength  a  small  quantity  of  the  smaller 
grains — such  as  cracked  wheat,  millet,  etc.,  should  be 


THE   PHEASANTS  57 

mixed  with  the  food,  the  quantity  of  grain  being  increased 
gradually  until  the  birds  can  be  fed  entirely  with  the 
grain.  Mr.  Evans  says,  further,  that  it  is  good  policy 
to  work  the  poults  off  the  soft  food  as  soon  as  possible. 
The  breeder  at  the  outset  will  get  full  instructions 
from  the  dealer  who  owns  the  pheasantry,  and  following 
these  he  should  have  no  trouble  in  stocking  his  farm 
or  preserve. 

In  setting  out  the  young  birds  the  foster-mother  and 
coop  should  be  moved  to  the  place  selected  and  the 
young  fed  there  daily,  until  they  become  accustomed 
to  the  place.  This  will  prevent  their  wandering  away. 
It  is  well  to  know  that  pheasants  do  not  inhabit  large 
forests  or  open  plains.  They  insist  upon  cover,  but 
feed  in  the  fields.  In  this  they  much  resemble  our 
partridge,  Bob-white,  and  the  pheasants  as  a  rule  will 
do  well  on  the  same  ground.  In  the  early  morning 
and  again  toward  evening  the  pheasants  leave  the 
cover  to  scratch  and  feed  in  the  fields.  When  alarmed, 
like  the  partridges,  they  fly  to  the  cover,  but  some- 
times trust  to  their  legs  and  travel  at  a  gait  to  exas- 
perate a  setter  trying  to  road  and  point  them. 

A  successful  breeder,  De  Guise,  writing  for  Forest 
and  Stream,  says:  "They  will  at  once  make  their  home 
in  and  never  leave  any  wooded  hollow,  where  cedars 
and  other  evergreen  trees  abound,  through  whose 
depths  runs  a  never-failing  stream,  and  which  lies  amid 
fields  of  grass  and  grain.  Such  is  an  ideal  harborage 
for  them,  where  their  every  want  will  be  supplied. 
....  In  trying  to  set  up  a  stock  of  pheasants  no 
efforts  will  be  fully  repaid,  no  success  will  be  perfect, 
unless  a  determined  and  continued  onslaught  is  made 


58  GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS 

on  their  foes,  furred  and  feathered.  The  brook  so 
necessary  for  their  comfort  is  the  lurking  place  of  the 
mink.  The  grateful  shade  of  the  trees  harbors  hawks 
and  owls,  and  many  a  brood  will  be  left  motherless, 
and  many  a  hen  will  be  bereft  of  her  young,  unless  all 
such  depredators  be  ruthlessly  exterminated." 

The  male  bird  of  the  true  Mongolian  pheasants  is 
very  handsome.  The  head  is  of  an  iridescent  green, 
reflecting  blue  and  purple,  and  about  the  neck  is  the 
broad  white  band  which  suggested  the  technical  name 
Torquatus,  ring-neck.  The  English  pheasant  has  lost 
this  white  ring  about  its  neck,  and  in  some  specimens 
it  is  represented  by  a  few  white  feathers.  Both  birds 
have  reddish-chestnut  breasts,  reflecting  purple,  and 
have  long  tails  barred  with  black.  The  English  birds 
are  regarded  as  better  than  the  true  Mongolians  for 
American  covers,  but  the  Mongolians  are  handsomer 
birds,  on  account  of  the  broad  white  collar  about  the 
neck.  The  flesh  of  both  birds  is  excellent,  nearly  as 
white  as  the  domestic  chicken,  and  far  more  palatable. 
I  have  eaten  them  both  at  the  same  meal,  and  doubt  if 
I  could  detect  the  difference,  if  unaware  which  bird  was 
served.  The  English  bird  is  said  to  be  somewhat 
heavier,  the  Mongolian  seemed  to  me  to  possibly  have 
a  more  gamy  flavor. 

There  are  many  other  beautiful  pheasants  which 
may  some  day  be  added  to  our  fauna,  but  the  Mongo- 
lian and  the  English  pheasants  are  those  which  are 
now  interesting  to  sportsmen. 

In  shooting  pheasants,  beat  the  sides  of  the  fields 
early  in  the  day  and  at  evening,  and  the  dog  will  soon 
discover  the  trail  of  the  birds  when  they  have  run  out 


THE   PHEASANTS  59 

into  the  fields  to  feed,  and  follow  them  to  a  point,  pro- 
vided they  do  not  run  away  from  him.  Mr.  Miller,  of 
Eugene,  Oregon,  says  the  pheasant  lies  better  to  the 
dog  than  the  blue-grouse  or  prairie-chicken,  but  my 
information  would  lead  me  to  believe  that  the  prairie- 
grouse  is  the  better  bird  before  dogs,  prior,  of  course, 
to  the  time  when  it  packs  and  does  not  lie  for  them  at 
all.  The  long  tail,  when  this  pheasant  presents  a  cross 
shot,  will  tend  to  make  the  sportsman  shoot  behind  his 
bird  and  so  miss  him,  or  bring  down  only  the  feathers 
from  the  tail.  Shoot  well  ahead  of  crossing  birds  and, 
as  1  have  before  remarked,  do  not  forget  that  there  is 
little  danger  of  your  missing  by  shooting  too  far  in  ad- 
vance of  the  bird. 


VII 

THE  NORTH  AMERICAN  GROUSE 

• 

SEVERAL  years  ago  I  suggested  that  the  Ameri- 
can grouse  might  properly  be  divided  into  two 
classes — (i)  the  grouse  of  the  open  country  and  (2)  the 
grouse  of  the  w^oods  and  mountains.  The  classifica- 
tion is  not  of  course  ornithological,  but  sportsmanlike, 
since  the  grouse  of  the  open  country  all  lie  better  to 
the  dogs  than  the  grouse  of  the  woods,  and  are  dis- 
tinguished from  the  wood-grouse  in  other  ways,  impor- 
tant to  sportsmen,  as  we  shall  observe  later.  Many 
grouse  are  listed  in  the  check  list,  which  are  so  much 
like  others  as  to  be  distinguished  with  difficulty. 
When  the  pattern  and  markings  are  the  same,  and  the 
habits  of  the  species  and  sub-species  are  identical,  and 
the  only  difference  is  a  slight  variation  of  the  general 
color,  the  birds  may  be,  and  are,  regarded  as  the  same  by 
sportsmen.  The  sub-species  of  ruffed-grouse — for  ex- 
ample, the  Canadian  ruffed-grouse,  the  gray  ruffed- 
grouse,  and  the  Oregon  or  Sabines  ruffed-grouse — are  the 
same  in  pattern  and  markings  and  have  the  same  habits, 
and  the  sportsman  is  right  in  regarding  them  as  iden- 
tical. The  great  ornithologist,  Coues,  says:  **  They 
are  ruffed-grouse,  each  and  all  of  them,  and  we  may 
ignore  the  varieties,  unless  we  desire  to  be  very  pre- 
cise.** Any  attempt  to  portray  these  sub-species  in 
black  and  white  fails.     They  all  appear  exactly  alike, 

60 


THE   NORTH   AMERICAN   GROUSE       6i 

for  the  reason  that  the  differences  are  in  color.  Were 
the  pictures  made  in  color  there  would  necessarily  be 
many  of  them,  since  the  sub-species  intergrade  and  all 
the  specimens  in  a  collection  might  be  different. 

Discarding  the  sub-species,  there  remain  three  grouse 
of  the  open  country  :  the  prairie-grouse,  the  sharp- 
tailed  grouse,  and  the  sage-grouse;  and  four  grouse 
of  the  woods  and  mountains :  the  ruffed-grouse,  the 
Canada  or  Spruce-grouse,  the  blue-  or  dusky-grouse, 
and  the  ptarmigan,  which  turns  white  in  winter. 

The  grouse  of  the  open  country  all  lie  well  to  the 
dog  until  late  in  the  year,  and  seldom  fly  to  the  trees. 
The  grouse  of  the  woods  and  mountains  are  all  given 
to  flying  to  the  trees,  and  are  often  shot  from  the 
branches.  The  flesh  of  the  wood-grouse  is  usually 
light ;  that  of  the  grouse  of  the  open  country  is  darker. 

In  some  of  the  States  the  season  for  shooting  the 
grouse  of  the  open  country  commences  in  August. 
This  is  a  month  too  early,  since  many  of  the  birds  have 
then  an  immature  flight  and  go  fluttering  out  of  the 
grass  or  stubble  with  a  speed  not  much  better  than 
that  of  the  rails,  presenting  marks  which  in  no  way 
test  the  skill  of  the  sportsman.  It  is,  too,  excessively 
hot  on  the  prairies  in  August  and  so  dry  and  dusty 
that  the  dogs  have  great  difficulty  in  finding  and 
pointing  the  game  and  often  suffer  from  thirst.  On 
the  high  plains  of  the  Northwest  the  temperature  is 
better,  and  the  many  small  lakes  and  ponds  furnish 
water  for  the  dogs.  The  opening  day  for  grouse  in 
Scotland  is  August  12th,  and  this  date  would  do  for 
North  Dakota,  Montana,  and  Manitoba.  1  have  had 
many  good  days  in  Dakota  and  Montana  in  the  latter 


62        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

part  of  August,  when  the  birds  were  fairly  strong  on 
the  wing,  but  for  many  reasons  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  September  ist  should  be  the  opening  day  for 
grouse  shooting  in  America.  This  is  the  best  date 
when  all  the  States  are  considered,  and  uniformity  is 
desirable.  And  since  the  birds  have  rapidly  dimin- 
ished, it  is  well  to  have  a  short  season. 

Ten  years  ago  I  had  no  hesitation  in  predicting  the 
extermination  of  the  grouse  of  the  prairies.  They  had 
already  disappeared  from  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  and 
when  I  went  to  shoot  in  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Kansas, 
I  observed  that  the  race  was  rapidly  diminishing,  and 
that  the  birds  were  shot  as  early  as  July,  sold  openly 
in  the  markets,  and  served  at  hotels  and  restaurants. 
Market  gunners  vied  with  sportsmen  in  the  making  of 
outrageous  bags,  and  the  birds  were  shot  for  sport, 
when  they  could  not  be  transported  or  used  on  ac- 
count of  the  heat.  Stories  were  common  of  wagon- 
loads  of  game  thrown  away.  The  sharp-tailed  grouse 
fared  somewhat  better  for  a  time,  on  account  of  the 
Indians,  who  were  the  best  game  preservers  in  the 
world,  using  what  they  needed  only,  and  preventing 
their  white  brothers  from  taking  any. 

The  legislation  shortening  the  open  season,  and  pro- 
hibiting the  sale  and  shipment  of  the  grouse,  has  done 
much,  and  with  the  creation  of  preserves  in  the  grouse 
States,  the  birds  will  no  doubt  be  saved  for  all  time 
and  cared  for  and  handled  as  grouse  are  in  Scotland, 
where  immense  numbers  are  killed  each  year,  but 
enough  are  left  to  restock  the  preserves. 

In  Scotland  the  game  preserves  are  of  great  value. 
'*  Shoots"  are  advertised  for  the  season  at  a  rental  often 


THE   NORTH  AMERICAN   GROUSE       63 

of  thousands  of  dollars.  The  editor  of  the  British 
Sportsman  said,  last  fall,  that  the  annual  sporting  rental 
of  Inverness-shire  is  close  upon  $100,000.  Adding  the 
rentals  received  in  Perthshire,  Ross-shire,  Argyle- 
shire,  and  Aberdeenshire,  and  $140,000  for  the  deer 
shooting,  it  is  estimated  that  the  shooting  privileges 
yield  an  annual  rental  of  over  $2,200,000.  "  These  fig- 
ures," says  the  editor, "  give  the  value  of  shootings  when 
properly  looked  after,  and  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
all  this  money  is  derived  from  land  which  in  the  days 
of  our  grandfathers  produced  practically  nothing." 

I  look  to  see  somewhat  similar  conditions  in  the  grouse 
States  of  America  before  many  years.  The  grouse 
are  especially  adapted  to  some  of  the  city  sportsmen, 
since  the  shooting  in  America  is  usually  done  from  a 
spring-wagon  with  cushioned  seats,  and  the  shots  are 
comparatively  easy,  being  made  over  dogs.  Already 
there  are  places  in  this  country  where  the  entire  taxes 
on  farms  are  paid  by  city  sportsmen,  and  I  predict  it 
will  not  be  long  before  the  **  shoots,"  to  use  the  English 
expression,  bring  much  better  prices.  The  distance 
from  the  large  cities  to  the  shooting  grounds  is  no 
longer  a  serious  problem.  A  day  or  two  in  a  luxurious 
private  car,  or  in  the  library  of  an  express  train,  will 
put  one  down  upon  the  finest  grouse-fields  in  the 
world.  In  Scotland  the  grouse  shooting  is  largely 
done  from  ambush,  the  birds  being  driven  across  a 
line  of  guns.  The  birds  are  under  full  headway  as 
they  pass  or  cross  over,  and  the  shots  are  more  diffi- 
cult (as  they  are  at  driven  pheasants)  than  those  pre- 
sented when  shooting  over  dogs.  I  know  a  number 
of   American   sportsmen  who  go  to  shoot  grouse  in 


64         GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS— GROUSE 

Scotland,  and  they  are  very  fond  of  the  drives.  There 
is  no  place  in  the  world  where  driving  could  be  better 
done  than  on  the  prairies  and  plains  of  the  Western 
States. 

We  will  no  doubt  shoot  at  driven  grouse  before 
many  years,  since  the  ''preserve"  idea  is  moving  West- 
ward like  the  course  of  empire. 

The  wood-grouse  are  all  great  wanderers  afoot,  and 
require  large  forests  for  their  preservation.  The  cut- 
ting down  of  the  trees  has  been  sufficient  to  extermi- 
nate them  in  many  places.  They  are  benefited  by  the 
establishment  of  the  preserves,  and  get  along  with  less 
woodland  when  not  too  much  persecuted. 

All  of  the  grouse  are  sufficiently  important  to  be 
considered  separately,  when  we  shall  have  something 
to  say  as  to  the  natural  history  of  each,  and  the 
methods  of  pursuing  them. 


VIII 

THE    PRAIRIE-GROUSE 

THE  common-grouse,  known  as  the  prairie-hen  or 
chicken,  and  the  sharp-tailed  grouse,  are  simi- 
lar birds  but  easily  distinguished.  The  former  in- 
habits the  prairies  and  the  latter  the  plains.  They  are 
associated  where  the  prairies  and  the  so-called  great 
plains  of  the  Northwest  blend.  The  prairie  bird  was 
formerly  found  from  the  Eastern  States  to  the  plains,  and 
was  abundant  in  Indiana,  Ohio,  and  Kentucky,  but  few, 
if  any,  remain  in  Ohio  and  the  bird  is  nowhere  as 
abundant  as  it  was  a  few  years  ago.  It  is  probably 
more  abundant  to-day  in  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Texas, 
Iowa,  and  parts  of  Illinois  than  elsewhere,  and  is  ex- 
tending its  range  toward  the  Northwest.  The  prairie- 
grouse  is  a  reddish-brown  bird  with  dark  brown 
stripes  running  crosswise.  The  sharp-tailed  grouse 
is  much  lighter  in  color,  being  almost  white  under- 
neath and  the  markings  are  lengthwise.  The  sharp- 
tailed  grouse  is  easily  distinguished  by  the  sharp  tail 
and  white  spots  on  the  wings. 

The  prairie-grouse  live  only  in  the  open  country, 
preferring  prairies  of  vast  extent.  As  they  are  culti- 
vated the  grouse  remain  and  feed  in  the  stubbles  and 
corn,  and  the  vast  corn-fields  in  the  prairie  States  have 
done  much  toward  their  preservation.  When  it  was  the 
fashion  everywhere  to  shoot  these  birds  in  the  sum- 

•     65 


66        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

mer,  even  as  early  as  July,  the  growing  corn  afforded 
a  refuge  often  miles  in  extent  where  it  was  intensely 
hot  and  where  the  shooting  was  difficult,  especially  so 
where  the  broad  green  leaves  of  the  corn  grew  higher 
than  the  head.  In  Illinois  and  Kansas  I  have  seen 
many  a  fine  covey  of  grouse  at  the  first  shot  on  the 
stubble  fly  directly  to  the  corn  and  sailing  for  a  long 
distance  over  it  settle  where  it  was  difficult  to  mark 
them  and  impossible  to  shoot  them.  Toward  evening 
the  birds  return  to  the  stubble  to  feed,  but  at  the  first 
shot  they  fly  back  to  the  corn. 

The  prairie-grouse  builds  its  nest  on  the  ground  and 
there  are  usually  from  twelve  to  fifteen  eggs.  The 
cocks  in  the  spring  make  a  loud  booming  noise,  and 
strut  and  fight  often  at  certain  places  called  by  the 
country  folks  scratching  places. 

Many  nests  are  destroyed  by  prairie  fires  and  many 
by  spring  floods.  Provided  it  be  not  too  late  the  hen 
will  usually  nest  again.  Many  are  of  the  opinion  that 
the  grouse  raise  two  broods  in  a  year;  I  doubt  not 
they  do  sometimes,  and  usually  if  the  first  brood  is 
destroyed.  Early  in  the  season  the  young  birds  are  not 
strong  on  the  wing  and  are  very  easy  marks.  They 
arise  from  the  ground  with  the  loud  whirring  noise 
made  by  all  gallinaceous  birds,  and  familiar  to  every- 
one who  has  stumbled  upon  a  flock  of  partridges  or  a 
ruffed-grouse  in  the  woods.  When  full  grown  the 
flight  is  strong  and  well  sustained,  the  whirring  con- 
tinues for  a  time  and  then  the  birds  sail  on  extended 
wings,  soon  to  whirr  and  sail  again  alternately  until 
they  have  flown  a  great  distance.  When  the  grouse 
are  young  and  tame,  and  have  not  been  shot  at,  they 


THE   PRAIRIE-GROUSE  e^ 

do  not  fly  far,  often  not  much  beyond  the  limit  of  a 
large  field.  They  are  then  the  easiest  kind  of  marks, 
and  the  whole  flock  is  often  killed  by  two  guns  in  very 
short  order.  They  lie  well  to  the  dogs,  which  find 
them  easily,  provided  it  be  not  too  dry,  but  as  the 
season  advances  they  are  more  difficult  to  approach, 
and  an  October  grouse  is  a  swift  and  difficult  mark, 
rising  nearly  out  of  range. 

As  soon  as  the  weather  becomes  cold  many  coveys 
associate,  forming  vast  flocks,  which  are  termed  packs. 
It  is  then  next  to  impossible  to  approach  them  within 
shooting  range.  They  may  be  seen  sitting  on  fences 
and  on  hay-stacks,  and  are  even  visible  sitting  about  on 
the  ground  with  heads  up,  and  always  alert  and  ready 
to  fly  a  mile  or  more  when  the  sportsman  approaches. 
It  is  useless  to  try  and  get  within  range  of  them.  A 
few  birds  might  possibly  be  killed  at  long  range  with 
a  rifle,  but  no  sportsman  fond  of  shooting  over  setters 
would  thus  destroy  the  birds.  Sometimes  on  warm, 
sunny  days  late  in  the  fall,  if  a  pack  of  grouse  be  moved 
early  in  the  day  while  feeding,  they  will  fly  out  on  the 
prairie  and  as  the  sun  becomes  strong  in  the  middle  of 
the  day  they  resume  their  feeding,  and  if  well  scattered 
may  lie  to  the  dog. 

In  September  the  sportsman  looks  for  the  grouse 
early  in  the  day  and  again  late  in  the  afternoon.  The 
birds  start  quite  early  from  the  long  and  heavy  grasses 
or  from  the  standing  corn,  going  afoot  to  the  stubbles 
to  feed.  In  the  middle  of  the  day  the  dogs  will  not 
find  them.  Late  in  the  season  if  there  is  any  shooting 
it  will  be  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 

The  distances  on  the  prairie  are  so  great  that  the 


68        GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS— GROUSE 

sportsmen  usually  drive  in  a  wagon,  alighting  to  shoot, 
or  ride  about  shooting,  often  without  dismount- 
ing. I  have  tried  both  methods  many  times  and  am 
very  fond  of  the  saddle.  When  the  horse,  or  Indian 
pony,  is  used  to  the  gun  and  will  stand  anywhere  with- 
out hitching  and  come  when  called,  as  a  well-trained 
pony  will  do,  this  method  is  perhaps  the  best.  A  drive 
with  a  companion  or  two  in  a  light  spring- wagon,  with 
the  opportunity  of  praising  the  conduct  of  the  dogs 
and  discussing  the  shots  at  the  last  covey,  is  the  usual 
way.  The  dogs  range  far  and  wide,  and  when  they 
come  to  a  point  the  wagon  is  driven  rapidly  within  a 
very  short  distance  of  them,  the  sportsmen  take  their 
positions  behind  the  dogs,  slipping  the  shells  in  the 
guns  as  they  approach,  and  when  all  are  ready  the 
owner  of  the  dogs  steps  forward  a  pace  or  two,  his 
companion  moves  forward  with  him,  there  is  a  loud 
whirring  of  wings,  a  rapid  firing  of  the  guns  and  if 
the  aim  be  true,  four  large  brown  birds  tumble  dead 
into  the  stubble  at  the  report  of  the  four  barrels. 

The  driver  shades  his  eyes  with  his  hand  and  from 
his  seat  in  the  wagon  observes  the  flight  of  the  sur- 
vivors as  they  go  whirring  and  sailing  away  like  so 
many  two-pound  meadow-larks,  and  marks  them  by  a 
tall  weed  when  they  settle  on  the  prairie. 

The  dog  having  retrieved  the  dead,  they  are  placed 
in  the  wagon  and  a  short  drive  brings  the  shooters  to 
the  scattered  birds.  Soon  the  setters  or  pointers  lo- 
cate them  by  the  strong  scent.  One  dog  draws  up 
quickly  to  a  point  and  the  other  backs  him,  or  per- 
chance they  both  point  at  once  at  separate  birds. 
These  arise  as  the  sportsmen  move  forward,  present- 


.ii 


THE   PRAIRIE-GROUSE  69 

ing  single  shots  and  often  doubles,  since  two  or  three 
birds  will  often  get  up  together.  Others  arise  at  the 
report  of  the  guns,  and  the  shooting  is  rapid.  Here, 
as  in  all  field  shooting,  observe  the  rule  as  to  silence. 
Do  not  exclaim  about  the  merits  or  demerits  of  a  shot, 
especially  when  the  gun  has  just  been  fired,  for  you 
will  most  likely  move  a  pair  of  birds  just  at  your  feet, 
which  no  doubt  will  present  the  easiest  chance  for  a 
double,  and  be  talked  about  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  as 
the  fish  are  which  get  away.  Do  not  shout  at  the  dog 
or  give  him  any  orders  if  it  can  be  avoided.  Replace  , 
the  shells  in  the  gun  immediately  after  firing,  and  if 
you  care  to  do  so  and  shoot  fairly  well  you  may  bag 
every  bird  in  the  covey  then  and  there. 

Since  the  shooting  is  always  in  the  open  it  is  not 
difficult  to  mark  and  follow  the  birds,  except  in  stand- 
ing corn,  and  it  is  not  unusual  for  the  entire  covey  to 
be  brought  to  bag  before  the  sportsmen  leave  it. 
Now  that  the  birds  are  few  in  number  sensible  sports- 
men do  not  care  to  exterminate  them,  and  on  the  pre- 
serves it  is  quite  necessary  to  spare  some  of  them  if 
there  is  to  be  any  shooting  another  year.  The  mar- 
ket gunner,  always  the  most  destructive,  finding  it 
more  and  more  difficult  to  dispose  of  the  game,  has  in 
most  places  ceased  to  shoot,  and  those  who  used  to 
trap  large  numbers  of  the  birds,  using  large  traps 
which  often  caught  a  covey  at  a  setting,  have  ceased 
to  trap  them  for  the  same  reason. 

In  many  of  the  States  there  are  laws  limiting  the 
size  of  the  bag  to  be  made  in  a  day  to  from  ten  to 
twenty-five  birds  and  the  limit  may  be  easily  reached 
by  shooting  a  few  birds  from  each  covey.     So  soon  as 


^o        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

the  birds  are  everywhere  preserved,  as  they  no  doubt 
will  be,  the  bag  limit  may  well  be  increased,  since  per- 
sonal interest  will  so  regulate  the  killing  as  to  save 
enough  to  restock  the  grounds  for  another  year. 
Upon  a  preserve  the  natural  enemies  of  the  grouse 
are  destroyed  ;  suitable  nesting  places  are  not  burned 
over  and  the  birds  are  fed  and  cared  for  in  the  winter. 
Under  such  conditions  large  bags  may  again  be  made 
in  a  day  without  danger  of  a  permanent  diminution  of 
the  game. 

When  I  first  went  to  shoot  in  Kansas  the  birds 
were  abundant.  We  drove  out  but  a  short  distance 
from  a  little  village  in  the  central  part  of  the  State, 
and  the  dogs  soon  found  and  pointed  a  covey.  There 
was  more  unbroken  ground  than  cultivated  fields,  and 
the  birds  when  flushed  were  scattered  in  the  prairie 
grass,  and  we  had  little  difficulty  in  making  large  bags. 

The  wide,  brown  prairies,  level  or  gently  undu- 
lated, stretched  away  in  every  direction  until  they 
met  the  sky.  The  small  houses,  more  often  cabins 
or  dugouts,  were  scattered  at  long  intervals.  There 
were  few  fences,  and  no  sign-boards  forbidding  the 
shooting.  The  drive  in  the  fresh,  cool  air  of  the 
morning  was  followed  by  rapid  shooting,  and  in  the 
heat  of  the  day  we  rested  often  for  several  hours  and 
again  cast  off  the  dogs  in  the  afternoon  and  enjoyed 
the  sport  until  sundown.  There  was  no  restraint  of 
any  kind  ;  no  law  to  limit  the  bag ;  no  irate  farmer 
ordered  us  off.  The  sportsman  who  goes  to  shoot 
the  prairie-grouse  to-day  will  do  well  to  get  per- 
mission in  advance  to  shoot  over  the  farms  and  look 
up  the  law  of  the  State  he  proposes  to  shoot  in. 


THE  PRAIRIE-GROUSE  71 

Going  out  one  season  with  some  army  officers  from 
Fort  Leavenworth  as  the  guest  of  a  railway  official, 
in  a  private  car,  the  engineer  whistled  when  the 
grouse  flushed  before  his  engine  and  stopped  while 
we  went  in  pursuit  of  the  birds.  There  were  but  one 
or  two  trains  daily  and  the  car  seldom  had  to  seek  a 
siding  to  avoid  them.  We  had  Gordon  setters,  Eng- 
lish setters  and  pointers,  young  and  old,  and  they 
found  and  pointed  the  birds  equally  well.  It  was  late 
in  August  and  the  pointers  suffered  less  from  the  heat 
and  were  on  that  account  the  more  serviceable  dogs. 
Use  No.  7  or  8  shot  early  in  the  season ;  5  or  6  later. 

THE  HEATH-HEN 

The  earlier  ornithologists  regarded  the  heath-hen 
as  identical  with  the  pinnated-grouse  or  prairie- 
chicken  of  the  Western  prairies.  It  is  closely  allied 
to  the  latter  bird  and  so  much  like  it  in  pattern  and 
color  markings  as  to  be  easily  mistaken  for  it.  The 
present  habits  of  the  two  birds  are,  however,  different, 
since  the  heath-hen  is  found  in  the  woods,  its  favorite 
haunt  being  in  scrub-oaks,  where  it  feeds  largely  on 
acorns  and  berries,  going  out,  as  the  ruffed-grouse 
goes,  to  the  open  fields  for  grain.  The  term  heath- 
hen  seems  inappropriate  now  that  the  bird  is  an 
arborial  species,  but  it  may  indicate  that  it  was  found 
in  the  open  years  ago,  when  it  was  distributed  over 
Massachusetts,  Connecticut,  Long  Island,  New  Jersey, 
and  Pennsylvania.  It  is  now  almost  exterminated,  and 
all  that  remain  are  in  a  limited  area  of  about  forty 
square   miles  on   the   island    of    Martha's   Vineyard, 


72        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

Mass.  Here  they  are  strictly  protected,  and  Brewster 
says  they  are  in  no  present  danger  of  extermination. 
According  to  present  calculations  there  are  not  more 
than  two  or  three  hundred  birds  remaining. 

From  this  source  the  clubs  of  Massachusetts  and 
Long  Island  might  possibly  restock  their  club  grounds, 
if  the  game  officers  of  Massachusetts  would  permit  it, 
and  the  experiment  is  well  worth  trying,  since  this 
grouse  would  prove  a  valuable  addition  to  any  game 
preserve.  The  experiment  was  once  tried  of  stocking 
the  preserve  of  the  Robin's  Island  Club,  on  the  island 
of  that  name  in  Peconic  Bay,  with  prairie-grouse  from 
the  West,  but  the  birds  all  flew  away,  probably  to  Con- 
necticut, since  one  was  reported  to  have  been  seen 
there. 

Brewster  says  the  heath-hen  weighs  on  an  average 
one  pound  less  than  the  prairie-grouse.  Samuels,  in 
his  "Northern  and  Eastern  Birds"  (published  in  1883), 
gives  the  pinnated  grouse,  or  prairie-hen,  as  a  former 
inhabitant  of  Massachusetts  and  other  Eastern  States, 
and  says  it  is  not  now  to  be  found  in  this  section,  ex- 
cept on  Martha's  Vineyard. 

A  friend  of  the  writer  shot  one  of  these  birds  some 
years  ago  on  Martha's  Vineyard,  brought  it  to  New 
York  and  had  it  mounted  by  a  taxidermist.  Upon 
learning  of  the  penalty  for  his  offence,  however,  he  was 
not  much  inclined  to  discuss  the  occurrence. 


IX 

THE   SHARP-TAILED   GROUSE 

FOR  many  reasons  I  regard  the  sharp-tail  as  the 
best  American  grouse.  Its  flight  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  prairie-grouse,  if  anything  more  swift  and  well 
sustained,  its  gray  plumage,  effectively  marked  with 
white  and  black,  is  more  attractive,  the  pointed  tail 
gives  it  a  trim  appearance,  its  flesh  is  equal  to  the  best, 
and  it  lies  w^ell  to  the  dogs.  The  country  where  it 
dwells  is  better  suited  to  the  use  of  dogs  than  the  prairie, 
by  reason  of  the  cooler  temperature  and  the  abundance 
of  water  in  the  many  lakes  and  ponds. 

The  range  of  the  sharp-tailed  grouse  and  the  two 
sub-species  (which  so  closely  resemble  the  species  as  to 
be  of  no  importance  to  sportsmen)  is  from  Northern 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin  to  the  central  portions  of  Alaska. 
The  prairie  sharp-tailed  grouse  is  found  as  far  south  as 
New  Mexico.  The  Columbian  sharp-tail  is  found  on 
both  sides  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  eastward  to  Mon- 
tana, Dakota,  and  Wyoming,  southward  to  Utah, 
Northern  Nevada,  and  Northeastern  California.  These 
birds  are  most  abundant  in  the  Dakotas,  Montana,  on 
the  plains  of  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington,  and  in 
the  British  possessions  from  Manitoba  west.  When  I 
first  went  to  shoot  in  Dakota — there  was  but  one  Dakota 
then — 1  found  the  sharp-tailed  grouse  very  abundant, 
•       73 


74        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

but  during  my  visit  of  several  weeks'  duration  I  shot 
only  one  or  two  of  the  pinnated  or  prairie-grouse.  It 
has  been  well  settled,  however,  that  the  common 
prairie-hen  follows  civilization  to  the  Northwest,  and 
these  birds  are  increasing  in  Dakota.  Many  of  them 
now  find  their  way  to  the  same  bag  with  the  sharp- 
tails,  and  since  variety  is  pleasing,  they  have  made 
their  common  range  the  most  desirable  grouse  land  in 
America.  I  can  imagine  no  better  grouse  preserves 
than  those  which  will  soon  occupy  all  the  country 
from  Minnesota  and  the  valley  of  the  Red  River  of  the 
North  to  Eastern  Oregon  and  Washington.  The  vast 
number  of  small  lakes  and  ponds  and  the  little  streams 
and  sloughs  overgrown  with  reeds  and  rushes  and 
wild  rice,  are  full  of  the  best  ducks  that  fly,  both 
the  sea-ducks,  such  as  the  canvas-backs  and  red-heads, 
and  the  shoal-water  mallards,  teal,  wood-duck,  and  all 
the  river-ducks  or  dabblers.  Many  remain  in  North 
Dakota  to  build  their  nests,  and  when  chicken-shooting 
I  have  often  seen  a  pond  full  of  young  mallards  and 
teal,  and  once  made  a  double  shot,  killing  a  duck  and 
a  chicken,  a  large  mallard  and  a  swift-flying  sharp-tail. 
The  sharp-tailed  grouse  is  very  similar  in  its  habits  to 
the  prairie-grouse.  It  struts  and  scratches  and  fights 
in  the  spring;  many  performing  at  a  time  on  the 
scratching  places,  and  as  the  birds  bow  and  slip  past 
each  other  with  their  tails  up  they  present  an  amusing 
appearance,  which  has  been  compared  to  the  dancing 
of  a  minuet. 

I  have  observed  the  great  sage-grouse  performing 
in  the  same  way,  and  the  cocks  of  both  species  often 
get  to  fighting,  as  dancers  have  been  known  to  do  at 


THE   SHARP-TAILED   GROUSE  75 

other  balls,  and  the  cause  of  the  tight  is  always  the 
same — rivalry. 

The  nest  of  the  sharp-tail  is  built  on  the  ground,  and 
contains  from  twelve  to  fifteen  or  even  more  eggs.  The 
coyote  and  the  many  prairie  falcons  are  their  chief  nat- 
ural enemies,  and  these  are  so  abundant  that  it  seems  re- 
markable how  the  sharp-tails  manage  to  survive.  The 
hawks,  though  not  very  wild,  usually  managed  to  keep 
just  out  of  range  of  our  guns.  I  often  observed  many 
of  them  sitting  on  the  tops  of  the  telegraph  poles,  and 
many  were  always  in  sight  sailing  overhead.  They 
did  not  seem  to  be  afraid  of  a  team,  and  a  friend  often 
dropped  out  of  our  wagon,  and  walked  behind  it  until 
within  easy  range  of  a  hawk  on  a  pole,  and  as  he 
stepped  out  to  shoot,  it  was  amusing  to  see  the 
alarmed  bird  jump  into  the  air  only  to  fall  dead  to  his 
unerring  aim.  A  few  steel-traps  placed  on  the  tele- 
graph poles  and  in  other  likely  places,  would  yield  a 
rich  harvest  of  hawks,  and  prove  a  great  benefit  to  both 
the  chickens  and  the  ducks.  At  night  a  pack  of  coyotes 
often  came  quite  near  our  camp  and  howled,  in  their 
dismal  warbling  fashion,  their  desire  for  our  birds 
which  were  hungup  in  the  trees. 

The  sharp-tail  weighs  about  two  pounds ;  sometimes 
as  much  as  two  and  one-half.  It  feeds  on  grain,  seeds, 
berries,  and  insects,  and  its  flesh  is  always  in  fine  con- 
dition for  the  table,  and  the  young  birds  are  tender  and 
delicious.  I  prefer  all  grouse  broiled  quickly  before  a 
fire,  but  they  are  very  good  cooked  in  any  way  do- 
mestic chickens  are,  and  in  the  wanter  they  may  be 
stewed  or  parboiled  to  advantage  like  domestic  fowls 
of  mature  age.     Although  the  sharp  tails,  like  all  other 


76        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

gallinaceous  birds,  are  protectively  marked  and  rely- 
upon  concealment,  they  are  seen  more  often  than  the 
prairie  grouse  on  the  ground,  or  sitting  on  the  wheat 
shocks,  and  on  frosty  mornings  sitting  on  the  branches 
of  the  trees  which  grow  about  the  streams.  They 
stand  high  on  their  legs  and  cock  up  their  pointed  tails 
like  a  wren,  and  present  a  singular  appearance  when 
the  long  neck  is  outstretched,  as  it  generally  is  when 
on  the  lookout.  In  the  slang  of  the  day,  they  might  be 
termed  "■  rubber-necks."  Upon  approaching  the  birds, 
however,  when  they  are  thus  visible,  they  disappear  as 
if  by  magic.  Those  sitting  on  the  shocks  fly  away 
or  drop  into  the  stubble  ;  the  **  rubber-necks "  are 
shortened,  the  bodies  fade  out  of  sight.  Although  the 
stubble  or  grass  may  be  short  and  thin  and  you  walk 
directly  to  the  place  where  the  birds  were  seen  a  mo- 
ment before  and  look  carefully  about,  not  a  feather 
will  be  visible.  As  you  are  about  to  step  on  a  bird, 
however,  he  bursts  forth  with  a  roar  of  wings,  and  flies 
rapidly,  usually  clucking  as  do  the  prairie-grouse  and 
sage-cocks  (tuck-a-tuck-tuck-tuck,  repeated  rapidly)  as 
if  scolding  you  for  the  disturbance.  Bestir  yourself 
rapidly  if  you  would  tumble  the  gray-cock  into  the 
stubble.     In  an  instant  he  will  be  out  of  range. 

Once,  shooting  with  an  Indian  agent,  we  had 
scattered  a  flock  of  sharp-tails,  and  as  I  approached 
the  spot  where  I  had  marked  one,  a  bird  went  out  and 
I  killed  it,  supposing  it  was  the  one  marked  down. 
The  agent  called  to  me  from  the  wagon  that  my  bird 
was  a  few  feet  farther  on,  and  going  to  the  place  in- 
dicated, I  carefully  looked  about,  without  being  able  to 
discover  it.     I  was  about  to  give  it  up,  when  I  almost 


THE   SHARP-TAILED   GROUSE  ^^ 

stepped  on  the  bird,  which  arose  with  a  loud  whirr,  but 
I  was  fortunate  enough  to  bag  it.  The  concealment  was 
most  remarkable  since  at  no  place  was  the  grass  much 
longer  than  the  bird's  legs.  The  above  incident  was 
but  one  of  many  which  proved  that  the  bird,  although 
more  willing  to  expose  itself  to  view,  was  as  good  at  con- 
cealment as  the  partridge,  ruffed-grouse,  or  woodcock. 
Roosevelt  refers  to  passing  through  a  flock  of  sharp- 
tails  without  seeing  a  bird  on  the  ground,  and  glancing 
back,  to  see  all  the  long  necks  outstretched  in  the 
grass,  intently  watching  him,  I  have  never  seen  the 
prairie-grouse  exhibit  any  such  curiosity,  and  it  is  un- 
usual in  the  shooting  season  to  see  those  birds  at  all 
until  they  are  on  the  wing. 

One  day  at  Fort  Totten,  the  Indian  agent  came  to 
invite  me  to  shoot  with  him.  He  had  a  good  pair  of 
horses  hitched  to  a  light  spring  wagon  and  one  of  his 
Indian  policemen  (Mr.  Ironlightning,  I  cannot  write 
his  Sioux  name)  sat  beside  him.  An  orange  and  white 
setter  was  in  the  wagon,  a  big,  strong  dog  I  had  shot 
over  often  before.  We  drove  out  a  short  distance,  and, 
releasing  the  dog,  he  went  off  like  a  greyhound  on  the 
wide,  gray  plain.  Soon  he  went  more  slowly,  and  it 
was  evident  from  his  actions  that  he  was  approaching 
birds.  We  drove  forward  as  he  settled  to  a  point,  and 
the  Indian  held  the  reins  while  we  went  in  and  flushed 
a  covey  of  fifteen  or  twenty  birds.  The  shots  were  easy, 
and  at  the  report  of  the  four  barrels  in  one,  two — three, 
four  order,  feathers  white  and  gray  hung  in  the  air, 
and  four  plump  birds  fell  dead  in  the  grass.  The  sur- 
vivors did  not  fly  far,  and  slipping  shells  into  theguns, 
we  moved  forward  afoot,  and  soon  were  busy  with  the 


78        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS—GROUSE 

scattered  birds.  There  were  but  few  misses  and  it  was 
not  long  before  we  had  shot  them  all,  excepting  a  few 
which  got  away  while  the  guns  were  empty. 

The  taciturn  Indian  sat  in  the  wagon  and  marked 
the  birds,  but  the  few  that  were  left  were  widely  scat- 
tered and  we  proceeded  to  cast  off  the  dog  and  search 
for  a  new  covey.  An  officer  from  the  garrison  with 
an  Irish  setter  joined  us,  and  on  one  occasion  when  the 
dogs  pointed  a  covey  the  birds  arose,  as  they  often  do, 
but  a  few  at  a  time,  in  rapid  succession,  and  reloading 
quickly  we  killed  them  all  before  retrieving  a  bird. 
Although  the  distances  were  great,  the  dogs  were  used 
to  them  and  were  fast  and  untiring,  and  we  found  one 
covey  after  another  and  had  excellent  sport  with  them 
all.  A  few  ducks  were  shot  as  they  flew  from  the  ponds, 
an  occasional  snipe  went  out  with  harsh  squeak  and 
zig-zag  flight  from  the  wet  grass  about  the  ponds,  and 
found  a  place  in  the  bag.  Such  was  the  shooting  of 
the  sharp-tails  a  few  years  ago,  and  such  it  is  to-day  in 
the  Dakotas,  Montana,  and  from  Manitoba  to  Washing- 
ton and  Oregon.  There  are  some  restraints,  however. 
A  gun  license  is  usually  required,  costing  as  much  as 
$40  in  Wyoming,  and  where  the  sport  is  best  there  is  a 
legal  limit  to  the  bag — ten  birds  in  a  day  in  Oregon, 
twenty-five  in  Dakota. 

A  limit  of  ten  birds  per  day  makes  a  short  day's 
shooting  when  the  birds  are  abundant.  It  may  be 
necessary  to  save  the  game  when  the  shooting  is  fine 
and  gunners  are  numerous,  but,  as  I  have  observed 
before,  this  limit  may  well  be  increased  when  the  birds 
are  well  cared  for  on  the  game  preserve,  their  natural 
enemies  destroyed  and  food  supplied  them  in  the  winter. 


THE  SHARP-TAILED   GROUSE  79 

A  recent  writer  for  Field  and  Stream  says  he  has  shot 
into  packs  (coveys  no  doubt  are  meant)  of  both  birds 
(prairie  and  sharp-tailed  grouse)  in  the  same  field. 
**  Some  years  ago,"  he  adds,  "  I  killed  an  old  mother- 
bird  with  six  young.  The  mother  was  a  genuine 
prairie-hen  ;  the  young  were  mixed.  Three  of  them 
favored  the  father  bird  (sharp-tail)  even  to  the  tail 
with  mixed  coloration,  breasts  barred  with  V-shaped 
markings  J  the  others  had  tails  like  the  mother,  mixed 
coloration  with  V-shaped  marks  on  sides  of  whitish 
breast."  Several  varieties  of  pheasants  are  known  to 
interbreed  on  the  preserves  in  England,  and  it  may 
be  that  the  grouse  will  do  the  same  on  our  grouse 
preserves  when  the  two  birds  are  closely  associated. 

The  sharp-tailed  grouse  is  probably  extinct  in 
Northern  Illinois.  A  close  season  now  in  force  in 
Wisconsin  may  save  the  birds  in  that  State,  but  there 
is  no  bird  whose  salvation  is  more  dependent  upon 
the  preserve,  in  my  opinion,  than  the  sharp-tailed 
grouse,  and  in  fact  all  of  the  grouse  of  the  open 
country. 

The  ornithologist  Coues,  the  best  authority  upon 
our  Western  birds,  says  :  "  The  pinnated-grouse  pre- 
fers to  glean  over  cultivated  fields,  while  the  wilder 
sharp-tailed  clings  to  his  native  heath.  The  railway 
will  take  the  former  along  and  warn  the  latter  away." 

In  an  earlier  book  I  expressed  the  opinion  at  vari- 
ance with  this  high  authority  that  the  true  reason  for 
the  disappearance  of  the  sharp-tails  from  the  eastern 
part  of  their  range  was  to  be  found  in  the  shot-gun. 
I  have  observed  the  sharp-tails  where  farms  were 
being  opened  and  found  they  were  very  fond  of  the 


8o        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

wheat-stubble.  Roosevelt  describes  killing  one  hun- 
dred  and  five  sharp-tails  one  day  while  shooting  with 
his  brother,  over  inferior  dogs,  in  the  stubbles  to  the 
eastward  of  his  ranch  on  the  Little  Missouri.  I  have 
seen  no  reason  to  change  my  opinion  that  the  sharp- 
tailed  grouse  are  not  driven  away  by  the  railway,  but 
on  the  contrary,  thrive  in  a  wheat-farming  country; 
and  if  sufficiently  protected  they  will  increase  and 
multiply  so  as  to  afford  the  finest  grouse-shooting  in 
America  for  many  years  to  come.  One  season  I  took 
a  ride  of  about  a  thousand  miles  through  the  country 
inhabited  by  sharp-tails.  Starting  at  Fort  Buford, 
North  Dakota,  we  ascended  the  Yellowstone  Valley 
from  the  mouth  of  the  river  to  Fort  Keogh,  Montana, 
and  went  thence  up  the  valley  of  the  Rose-bud ; 
crossed  the  Panther  Mountains  to  the  Tongue  River 
and  proceeded  to  the  Big  Horn  Mountains;  thence 
northward  along  the  Big  Horn  and  Little  Big  Horn 
to  the  Yellowstone,  and  crossing  that  river  we  re- 
turned again  to  Forts  Keogh  and  Buford.  The 
sharp-tails  had  not  then  been  shot  at.  It  was  just 
before  the  surrender  of  Sitting  Bull,  and  we  travelled 
over  countr}^  which  was  well  preserved  by  the  Indians. 
The  sharp-tailed  grouse  were  very  abundant  in  many 
of  the  valleys  and  out  on  the  plains,  but  no  more  so,  I 
am  satisfied,  than  they  were  some  years  later  on  the 
stubble  fields  of  Dakota  before  they  were  much  perse- 
cuted. Sharp-tails  do  not  like  small  farms,  but 
neither  do  the  prairie-grouse,  and  for  the  same  reason 
— in  a  closely  settled  country  there  are  too  many 
guns.  It  is  no  wonder  when  the  shooting  began  in 
July  and  the  birds  brought  good  prices  in  the  Chicago 


THE  SHARP-TAILED   GROUSE  8i 

markets,  when  there  was  no  bag  limit,  no  license,  no 
game  warden  or  game  law,  that  the  birds  were 
*'  warned  "  away  from  Northern  Illinois.  They  might 
readily  be  restored,  in  my  opinion,  with  the  prairie- 
hen  to  many  of  the  farms  of  Illinois ;  but  the  experi- 
ment would  not  be  worth  while  unless  the  birds  were 
closely  protected  for  a  period  of  years  and  thereafter 
carefully  guarded  on  preserves  of  large  size  where  the 
shooting  would  necessarily  be  limited  to  the  increase 
of  the  year.  There  are  many  vast  preserves  owned 
by  Chicago  men  where  the  ducks  most  congregate. 
A  preserve  with  the  sharp-tails  restored  might  well 
be  laid  out  adjoining  the  marshes  frequented  by  the 
ducks.  On  such  a  preserve  the  partridges,  woodcock, 
and  ruffed-grouse  would  need  but  little  more  than 
protection  in  the  oak  groves  against  over-shooting 
to  increase  and  multiply,  and  pheasants  might  be 
added  to  advantage.  Before  it  is  too  late  I  hope  to 
see  the  sharp-tails  well  established  on  many  preserves 
where  the  race  will  no  longer  be  in  yearly  danger  of 
extermination. 

I  have  referred  at  other  times  to  the  picturesque 
features  of  the  country  where  the  sharp-tailed  grouse 
dwell.  The  many  little  lakes  and  ponds  reflecting  the 
image  of  the  sky  suggested  to  the  Indian  the  poetical 
word  Minnesota,  the  land  of  sky-tinted  waters ;  Minne- 
waukon,  the  lake  of  the  Great  Spirit,  a  large,  salt  lake 
second  in  size  to  that  in  Utah,  lies  well  out  on  the 
range.  The  villages  of  the  Mandans,  Sioux,  and  Crows, 
and  their  inhabitants  in  bright  costumes,  feathered 
and  beaded,  were  picturesque  in  the  extreme.  Much  of 
the  sharp-tail  country  is  a  land  of  wild  roses  and  sun- 


82        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

flowers,  and  small  wild  fruits,  where  the  buffalo,  elk, 
deer,  and  antelope  were  but  little  molested  when  I  first 
began  to  shoot.  Such  was  the  land  when  Custer  fell, 
and  for  a  few  years  thereafter.  The  railroad  now  runs 
over  it.  Towns  have  taken  the  places  of  the  Indian 
tepees.  The  buffaloes  are  exterminated,  the  antelope 
are  nearly  gone,  and  the  sharp-tails  must  go  to  the 
game  preserve  or  vanish  from  the  earth. 


X 

THE   SAGE-COCK— COCK  OF  THE   PLAINS 

MANY  years  ago  I  rode  out  from  Fort  Bridger 
with  Professor  Marsh  and  his  assistants  es- 
corted by  a  company  of  troops  from  the  garrison. 
The  expedition  was  against  the  dead  of  long  ago, 
whose  fossil  remains  lay  buried  in  the  Terre  Mauvais, 
or  Bad  Lands  of  the  Green  River  country,  in  what 
is  now  the  States  of  Utah  and  Wyoming.  I  had 
asked  to  accompany  the  expedition  and  do  part  of  the 
work,  not  on  account  of  an  interest  in  paleontological 
research,  but  from  a  desire  to  visit  an  unknown  land 
in  comfort  and  safety  and  to  shoot  at  the  living. 

We  rode  away  from  the  garrison  over  a  vast  plain 
overgrown  with  the  artemesia  or  wild  sage.  Far  away 
to  the  south  were  the  bad  lands  or  buttes,  strangely  fash- 
ioned by  erosion,  and,  beyond,  the  snow-capped  peaks 
of  the  Uintah  Mountains.  I  carried  a  double  gun 
across  the  saddle,  and  we  had  not  gone  far  before  I 
dropped  behind  the  others,  riding  somewhat  to  the 
left  of  their  trail,  in  the  hope  that  I  might  get  a  shot 
at  something.  Suddenly  a  large  bird,  nearly  as  big  as  a 
turkey,  arose  from  my  horse's  feet,  and  with  a  tremen- 
dous roar  of  wings  flew  off  across  the  plain,  loudly 
clucking  as  he  went.  Not  stopping  to  consider  if  my 
horse  would  stand  the  firing  I  pitched  the  gun  to  my 
shoulder  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  bird 
•      83 


84        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

fall  dead.  When  I  picked  him  up  I  found  that  I  had 
a  very  heavy  bird,  weighing  at  least  six  or  seven 
pounds.  Its  general  color  was  gray,  with  a  large 
black  patch  below.  It  had  a  long  tail  of  stiff  feathers 
and  tufts  of  white  on  the  shoulders.  It  was  three 
times  as  large  as  any  grouse  I  had  ever  seen  on  the 
prairies,  but  I  suspected  the  truth — it  was  the  sage- 
cock,  or  cock  of  the  plains,  the  largest  grouse  in  the 
world  save  the  capercailzie  of  Europe. 

Hanging  my  prize  to  the  saddle  I  remounted  and 
rode  about  in  the  sage  hoping  to  have  another  shot, 
but  the  bird  was  solitary,  or  I  failed  to  move  his  com- 
panion. Shortly  afterward  a  large  animal  bounded  out 
of  the  sage  and  made  off  with  tremendous  leaps.  An 
antelope,  thought  I,  as  I  made  a  snap  shot  at  it,  but 
when  I  picked  it  up  the  extremely  long  ears  made  it 
evident  that  I  had  bagged  the  jack,  or  jackass  rabbit, 
the  animal  which  had  been  recently  exploited  by  Mark 
Twain  in  *'  Roughing  It."  When  I  arrived  at  our 
camp  my  identification  of  both  species  was  verified, 
but  neither  the  cook  nor  the  plainsmen  who  acted  as 
our  guides  seemed  to  regard  my  performance  as  he- 
roic as  could  be  desired. 

I  soon  learned  that  in  the  presence  of  larger  game, 
such  as  the  elk  and  mule-deer,  neither  the  sage-cock 
nor  the  jack-rabbit  were  regarded  as  worthy  marks  or 
as  desirable  food. 

There  has  been  much  controversy  as  to  the  merits 
of  the  sage-cock  on  the  table,  and  I  had  occasion  to 
review  the  authorities,  as  the  lawyers  say,  on  this  point 
in  a  former  work.  All  shades  of  opinion  will  be  there 
found    expressed,   in   terms   varying    from    "  quinine 


THE   SAGE-COCK  85 

brute  "  to  **  delicious,"  but  the  truth  of  the  matter  is 
that  these  birds,  like  others,  often  receive  a  flavor  from 
their  food,  and  when  the  wild  sage  is  their  exclusive 
diet  they  have  a  more  or  less  bitter  taste.  When,  how- 
ever, the  birds  are  young  and  have  been  feeding  on 
grasshoppers,  their  flesh  is  as  good  as  that  of  the  sharp- 
tails  or  prairie-grouse. 

Before  we  made  our  second  camp  I  shot  a  number 
of  these  grouse,  and  selecting  a  young  and  tender  bird, 
plucked  him  and  broiled  him  on  a  stick,  and  I  found 
the  flesh,  as  Lieutenant-Colonel  Dodge  describes  it — 
"  juicy,  tender,  and  delicate  as  a  spring-chicken,  besides 
having  the  richest  game  flavor."  I  am  surprised  that 
the  ornithologists  are  almost  to  a  man  arrayed  against 
this  bird  as  an  edible  dish. 

The  sage-cock  was  made  known  to  the  world  by 
Lewis  and  Clark  in  their  report  of  their  expedition, 
and  they  named  it  the  cock  of  the  plains.  It  inhabits 
the  sage  plains  from  Western  Dakota,  Colorado,  Ne- 
braska, and  Kansas  to  the  Pacific  States,  and  south  to 
about  thirty-five  degrees.  It  never  wanders  away  from 
the  sage.  The  birds  do  not  fly  to  the  trees,  but  I  have 
found  them  in  the  shade  of  the  cottonwoods  along  the 
banks  of  streams,  only,  however,  where  the  wild  sage 
extended  up  close  to  the  trees.  They  are  often  found 
far  out  on  the  sage-plains  many  miles  from  water,  and 
the  presence  of  ponds  or  streams  does  not  seem  neces- 
sary to  their  existence.  Their  flight  is  the  same  as 
that  of  the  other  grouse,  alternately  flapping  and  sail- 
ing, but  the  noise  produced  by  the  wings  is  multiplied 
and  has  been  compared  to  a  burst  of  thunder.  The 
cocks  measure  two  an(4  one-half  feet  or  more,  and  the 


86        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

hens  are  somewhat  smaller.  It  is  remarkable  that 
such  large  birds  can  conceal  themselves  as  they  do, 
and  they  often  refuse  to  take  wing  until  fairly  kicked 
out  of  the  bush.  They  lie  well  to  the  dogs,  but  it  is 
important  to  take  water  in  the  wagon  for  these  animals, 
as  it  often  is  on  the  prairies,  to  prevent  their  suffering 
from  thirst. 

My  shooting  at  these  birds  was  mostly  done  from  the 
saddle  while  on  the  march.  When  we  liushed  a  covey 
of  birds  I  took  a  shot  at  them,  and  marking  those  that 
flew  away  to  the  particular  bush  where  they  settled, 
rode  at  once  to  the  spot  and  sometimes  dismounted 
to  shoot  at  the  scattered  birds.  Upon  several  occa- 
sions I  went  out  with  a  friend  especially  to  shoot  them, 
riding  here  and  there  (we  had  no  dog)  until  the  horse 
flushed  a  covey,  and  following  them  so  long  as  we  could 
make  them  take  wing.  Birds  often  escaped  by  hiding  in 
the  sage  and  refusing  to  fly.  The  most  likely  places 
seemed  to  be  depressions  where  the  water  evidently 
flowed  in  wet  seasons  and  little  knolls  adjacent,  but  we 
stumbled  upon  the  birds  almost  anywhere  in  the  sage, 
and  often  made  very  good  bags.  It  was  next  to  im- 
possible to  miss  one,  since  the  shots  were  always  in  the 
open  and  the  marks  large.  The  birds  required  hard 
hitting,  however,  to  bring  them  down,  and  I  would  not 
advise  the  use  of  shot  smaller  than  number  5  or  6.  A 
wounded  bird  is  difficult  to  recover  without  a  dog 
where  the  sage  grows  thickly,  and  I  always  tried  to  kill 
the  birds  outright.  The  side  shots,  or  those  at  quar- 
tering birds,  are  more  likely  to  be  fatal  than  those  at 
birds  going  straight  away,  since  the  shot  then  pene- 
trates the  lighter   feathers  beneath  the  wings. 


THE   SAGE-COCK  ^7 

The  horses  used  in  the  West  are  generally  trained  to 
stand  without  hitching  when  the  reins  are  thrown  over 
their  heads,  and  I  soon  taught  my  horse  to  follow  me 
about  when  I  walked  up  to  the  scattered  birds.  Upon 
one  occasion  he  became  alarmed  at  a  party  of  Indians 
which  rode  near,  and  went  off  at  a  gallop,  not  stopping 
until  he  reached  the  camp,  some  miles  away.  The 
Indians  were  friendly  Shoshones,  and  seemed  amused 
at  my  losing  my  horse.  I  had  a  long  tramp  back  to 
the  camp,  and  found  a  few  of  the  big  grouse  a  burden. 

The  most  desirable  places  to  shoot  sage-grouse  are 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  mountains.  The  stream  neces- 
sary for  a  camp  will  be  found  full  of  trout,  and  an  ex- 
pedition may  be  made  into  the  forest  for  the  blue- 
grouse,  or  for  deer.  The  sage-brush  makes  a  good 
fire.  I  have  more  recently  shot  sage-grouse  in  many 
places,  usually  only  a  few  now  and  then  to  add  variety 
to  the  camp  table.  Their  habits  are  everywhere  the 
same.  They  are  too  easy  as  marks  to  be  very  desir- 
able game.  In  addition  to  the  jack-rabbits,  I  have 
seen  many  of  the  smaller  hares  in  the  haunts  of  the 
sage-cock ;  a  band  of  antelope  was  not  unusual  some 
years  ago,  but  these  graceful  animals  are  seldom  seen 
to-day. 


XI 

THE   RUFFED  GROUSE 

THE  ruffed-grouse  is  the  bird,  as  I  have  observed, 
so  often  called  partridge  in  New  England,  and 
pheasant  in  the  West  and  South.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  birds  having  protective  markings ;  and 
here  I  may  say,  for  the  benefit  of  the  non-ornithological 
reader,  that  the  birds  protectively  marked  are  the  birds 
whose  plumage  harmonizes  with  their  surroundings,  so 
as  to  render  them  invisible  to  their  enemies,  and  these 
birds  all  trust  much  to  concealment.  Protectively 
marked  game  birds  are  usually  of  a  brown  or  gray 
color,  variously  marked  with  yellowish-tan  and  black 
and  white. 

The  ruffed-grouse  is  a  very  handsome  bird  of  trim 
outline,  alert  and  game-like  in  appearance,  brown  and 
gray,  but  effectively  marked  with  velvety  black  and 
white,  which  contrast  well  with  brown  and  gray  tones. 
The  broad  band  across  the  tail  and  the  long  silken 
feathers  which  form  the  ruff  are  glossy  black.  On  the 
back  are  arrow-head  or  heart-shaped  spots  of  light 
gray.  The  legs  are  covered  with  feathers  (the  distin- 
guishing mark  of  the  grouse)  of  brownish  white. 
The  ruffed-grouse  has  long  been  called  the  "  king  of 
game  birds."  When  the  ruffed-grouse  struts  and 
drums,  he  elevates  his  tail  (which  is  spread  out  like  a 
fan)  and  the  black  ruff  about  his  neck,  and  as  he  pran- 

88 


THE   RUFFED-GROUSE  89 

ces  about  on  his  favorite  drumming-log,  stump,  or  stone, 
he  makes  a  loud  noise  which  resembles  somewhat  the 
roll  of  a  drum.  It  begins  with  several  low  thumps, 
and  these  are  slow  and  measured,  but  they  increase 
rapidly  in  force  and  frequency  until  the  deep  noise  is 
produced  which  can  be  heard  for  a  mile  in  the  woods. 
The  sound,  which  is  ventriloquial  in  character,  was  sup- 
posed formerly  to  be  vocal  and  many  so  describe  it. 
Enough  has  been  written  on  the  subject  to  fill  a  book 
of  large  size.  An  abstract  of  the  lore  on  this  subject 
will  be  found  in  my  former  work,  "  The  True  Game 
Birds."  Many  ornithologists  follow  Audubon  in  de- 
scribing the  drumming  noise  as  being  made  with  the 
wings  striking  the  body,  but  it  seems  from  later  obser- 
vations that  the  wings  of  the  bird  smite  nothing  but 
the  air  —  ''not  even  his  own  proud  breast."  This 
grouse  was  given  its  technical  name  bonasa^  since  the 
noise  was  supposed  to  be  vocal  and  to  resemble  the 
bellowing  of  the  bull. 

Ruffed-grouse  are  distributed  everywhere  in  the 
woods  from  New  England  and  Eastern  Canada  to 
Oregon  and  south  to  Georgia,  Mississippi,  and  Arkan- 
sas. They  prefer  forests  of  large  extent,  since  they  are 
great  wanderers  afoot,  and  are  more  often  found  in  the 
hills  and  mountains  in  the  East,  but  they  were  also 
very  abundant  in  the  oak  forests  of  Northern  Indiana 
and  Illinois,  and  are  to-day  abundant  in  many  places 
in  Michigan,  Minnesota,  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  re- 
gion, and  the  forests  of  Oregon.  The  fiesh  of  this 
grouse  is  white  and  delicious.  As  an  object  of  pur- 
suit he  is  now  far  more  difficult  than  the  prairie- 
grouse  or  sharp-tailedjgrouse.    To  write  another  equa- 


90        GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— GROUSE 

tion,  which  will  be  understood  by  fishermen  at 
least,  the  ruffed-grouse  is  to  the  prairie-hen  as  the  wily 
black  bass  to  a  school  of  yellow  perch.  The  ruffed- 
grouse  is  often  found  solitary  or  in  a  group  of  two 
or  three  during  the  shooting  season.  He  will  often 
slip  away  from  the  dog  and  rise  out  of  range  or  lie 
very  close  until  the  sportsman  has  passed,  and  then 
burst  forth  with  a  roar  of  wings  in  the  evident  hope 
of  scaring  him  to  death. 

This  grouse  builds  its  nest  on  the  ground,  and  there 
are  usually  ten  or  twelve  eggs.  By  September  ist  the 
young  birds  are  strong  on  the  wing.  I  have  urged 
September  15th  as  the  opening  day  of  the  season  for 
these  birds.  In  most  of  the  States  the  season  opens 
much  later.  The  objection  to  an  early  date  is  that 
men  going  out  for  grouse  are  tempted  to  shoot  at  all 
game,  and  the  partridges  are  not  old  enough  to  shoot 
in  September.  Sportsmen,  however,  are  to-day  more 
inclined  to  regard  the  game  laws,  and  the  market  gun- 
ners should  everywhere  be  kept  out  of  the  woods. 

Before  the  ruffed-grouse  have  been  much  pursued 
they  are  quite  tame,  and  often  fly  to  the  branches  of 
trees  quite  within  range.  There  are  few  places  to-day 
where  the  grouse  are  so  uneducated.  In  some  remote 
places  in  Idaho  or  other  parts  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
region  and  in  unfrequented  places  in  the  Maine  woods 
or  elsewhere  where  shooters  do  not  go,  they  are  no 
doubt  as  tame  as  they  once  were  everywhere. 

When  the  grouse  are  not  too  wild  they  are  hunted 
with  a  small  dog,  which  drives  them  to  the  branches  of 
the  trees  and  attracts  their  attention,  while  the  gunner 
(the  reader  will  observe  I  do  not  say  sportsman)  ap- 


THE  RUFFED-GROUSE  91 

preaches  and  shoots  them  down.  I  would  not  have 
any  friendship  for  a  man  who  would  shoot  one  of  these 
magnificent  birds  sitting  and  gazing  at  him  from  the 
branch  of  a  tree. 

Forester  says  that  "the  constantly  repeated  tale  that 
the  ruffed-grouse  when  it  alights  in  trees  in  com- 
panies, will  allow  the  whole  flock  to  be  shot  down  one 
by  one  without  stirring,  provided  the  shooter  takes  the 
precaution  of  shooting  the  one  which  sits  the  lowest  on 
the  tree  first,  is  as  fabulous  as  it  is  ridiculous."  I  have 
been  informed,  however,  by  reliable  persons  that  this 
not  only  can  be,  but  has  been,  done  repeatedly.  The 
Canada-grouse  have  been  shot  in  the  same  way,  as  we 
shall  see  later.  I  have  seen  the  blue-  or  dusky-grouse 
equally  tame  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  but,  of  course, 
never  tried  to  kill  all  on  a  tree.  I  have  repeatedly 
found  the  ruffed-grouse  in  cultivated  fields  where  they 
had  gone  in  search  of  food,  but  only  in  such  fields  as 
were  adjacent  to  the  woods,  into  which  they  went  on 
whirring  wings  at  the  first  alarm. 

Ruffed-grouse  are  always  found  in  wild,  romantic, 
and  picturesque  places.  They  are  especially  fond  of 
craggy  mountain  sides  and  deep  and  impenetrable 
swamps.  A  small  woodland  will  not  hold  them  long 
unless  it  be  one  of  a  series  of  woods  with  intervening 
fields.  Early  in  the  season  all  the  birds  of  a  brood  will 
be  found  together,  but  I  believe  there  are  never  more 
than  one  brood  associated.  In  this  they  differ  from 
the  grouse  of  the  open  country,  which  pack,  as  we 
have  observed,  into  large  flocks  as  the  season  ad- 
vances. 

There  is  much  diversity  as  to  the  field  merits  of  this 


92        GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS— GROUSE 

bird.  He  does  not  lie  so  well  to  the  dog  as  the  com- 
mon partridge,  Bob-white,  or  as  the  grouse  of  the  open 
country.  It  is  unusual  to  make  a  large  bag  of  ruffed- 
grouse  ;  a  half  dozen  birds  in  a  day  is  a  very  good  bag, 
and  will  represent  many  more  shots  than  the  same 
number  of  partridges  or  prairie-grouse,  since  the  birds 
fly  very  rapidly  and  the  shots  are  usually  in  heavy 
cover. 

The  birds  lie  better  to  the  dogs  when  there  are  many 
fallen  logs  and  much  underbrush  to  impede  their  run- 
ning, and  in  close  thickets,  especially  thickets  with 
grass  in  them.  I  have  usually  found  them  lying  close 
in  swampy  places  where  the  ground  was  soft  and  over- 
grown with  tufts  of  grass  and  covered  with  fallen  logs. 
When  the  birds  are  discovered  in  such  places  the  sport 
is  indeed  magnificent.  But  when  the  birds  are  few  in 
number  and  are  found  on  vast  mountain  sides  where 
there  is  no  such  cover,  and  the  ground  is  quite  open 
beneath  the  trees,  they  will  often  run  from  the  dogs  in 
a  most  exasperating  way  and  fl}^  from  one  mountain 
side  to  another;  much  time  is  consumed  in  following 
them,  to  say  nothing  of  the  arduous  work,  and  the 
dogs  are  often  useless. 

I  have  more  often  shot  ruffed-grouse  when  in  pur- 
suit of  other  game.  Following  the  dogs  to  the  woods 
when  partridge  shooting,  I  have  found  them  standing 
ruffed-grouse,  and  as  soon  as  the  larger  birds  were 
discovered,  I  have  given  them  my  immediate  attention 
and  followed  them  so  long  as  there  was  any  chance  for 
success.  When  I  have  gone  out  especially  to  shoot 
these  birds  I  have  usually  not  found  them  in  sufficient 
numbers  to  make  the  shooting  as  lively  as  I  like  to  see 


A    DIFFICULT    Si^T    AT    A    RUiFi:D    GROUSE 


THE   RUFFED-GROUSE  93 

it.  There  is  a  chance  for  the  exercise  of  much  skill 
and  intelligence  on  the  part  of  the  man  and  dog,  and 
they  who  know  best  the  particular  localities  in  the  vast 
forests  frequented  by  the  birds,  and  who  can  go  to 
them  most  quickly  and  quietly,  who  in  a  word,  can  find 
and  approach  the  game  the  best,  will  make  the  largest 
bags.  I  have  known  of  a  bag  of  twenty  or  more  birds 
in  a  day,  but  as  I  have  observed,  a  smaller  bag  is  the 
rule.  Forester  records  a  bag  of  seven  birds  made  by 
two  guns  in  four  days  of  resolute  fagging  with  two 
brace  of  setters,  as  good,  he  says,  as  any  in  the  country, 
and  announced  he  never  would  go  again  in  pursuit  of 
these  birds.  For  my  part  I  am  especially  fond  of  a 
ramble  in  the  forest,  no  matter  what  may  be  the 
result. 

Much  pleasure  is  derived  from  seeing  the  dogs 
repeatedly  point  birds  in  the  open ;  there  is  fair  sport  in 
shooting  at  the  prairie-grouse  late  in  September,  when 
they  fly  swiftly,  and  when  fifty,  one  hundred,  or  even 
more  shots  are  often  fired  in  a  day.  But  the  ramble  in 
the  forest  has  its  magic  charm  not  to  be  found  in  the 
prairie.  There  is  "  a  pleasure  in  the  pathless  woods." 
The  magnificent  colors  of  the  autumn  trees  are  over- 
hung with  the  blue  veil  of  the  Indian  summer.  The 
breeze  soughing  in  the  branches  does  not  mar  the 
restful  quiet.  The  solemnity  is  pleasing,  quieting, 
and  causes  one  to  rejoice  that  he  is  far  from  the 
noisy  rattle  of  the  town.  So  still  it  is  that  the  nut 
which  the  squirrel  drops  sounds  loudly  on  the  leaf; 
the  twig  snapped  under  foot  crackles  noisily.  The 
murmur  and  splashing  of  the  tiny  brook,  the  rust- 
ling  of   the   autumn  leaves   are  sounds   familiar   but 


94        GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS— GROUSE 

ever  charming.  The  lunch  beside  the  cool  spring, 
with  mossy  logs  or  rocks  for  chairs  and  table,  is  eaten 
with  a  mountain  hunter's  appetite,  and  the  few  birds 
in  the  bag  are  handled  and  admired  more  than  once. 
Meanwhile  the  good  setters  who  have  worked  hard  are 
dozing  on  the  grassy  mat  where  the  sunlight  falls  ;  the 
pipes  are  lighted  and  the  stories  of  the  shots  most  dif- 
ficult are  told  again.  "  Just  as  I  pushed  the  hemlock 
branch  aside  with  one  foot  over  log — Whir !  Whir  ! 
Whir !  "  etc.  The  sportsman  knows.  The  novice  will 
find  the  lesson  pleasing. 

The  ruffed-grouse  are  fond  of  wild  grapes  and  also 
of  whortleberries,  and  in  a  general  way  I  m,ay  say 
here  that  the  knowledge  of  what  birds  are  feeding 
upon  is  always  valuable  to  the  sportsman.  I  have 
often  found  the  ruffed-grouse  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
wild  grape-vines.  Early  in  the  season  they  may  be 
found  on  the  tops  of  low  mountains  feeding  in  the 
whortleberry  patches.  Later  in  the  year  they  move 
down  the  mountains,  and  in  November  the  birds  will 
not  be  so  high  on  the  hills  as  earlier.  There  is  an  un- 
certainty about  the  sport  which  lends  an  additional 
zest  since  we  prize  most  that  which  is  difficult  of 
attainment. 

Men  who  are  especially  fond  of  the  sport  carefully 
study  the  habits  of  the  birds,  and  are,  of  course,  more 
successful  than  those  who  shoot  them  only  in  con- 
nection with  other  game. 

It  is  a  good  rule  when  a  bird  flushes  wild  or  is 
missed  to  follow  him  up  immediately.  If  he  does  not 
lie  well  to  the  dog  the  second  time,  keep  after  him, 
noting  his  line  of   flight  and  after  several  flushes  he 


.       THE  RUFFED-GROUSE  95 

may  decide  to  rely  upon  concealment  and  will  pos- 
sibly present  a  very  fair  shot. 

When  the  dog  fails  to  find  the  bird  on  or  near  the 
ground  where  he  has  been  marked,  look  carefully  in  the 
trees,  going  over  them  a  branch  at  a  time.  The 
grouse  will  sit  so  closely  and  so  still  that  he  may  be 
easily  overlooked.  The  birds  are  partial  to  woodland 
roads,  and  when  the  road  is  not  much  travelled  it  will 
pay  to  run  the  dogs  over  it  and  the  adjoining  thickets. 

The  ruffed-grouse  have  never  been  domesticated  and, 
of  course,  cannot  be  handled  in  a  preserve  as  the  pheas- 
ants are,  but  when  they  are  not  too  much  shot  at  and 
when  their  natural  enemies,  furred  and  feathered,  are 
destroyed  they  will  increase  in  number,  and  I  see  no 
reason  when  food  is  supplied  to  them,  why  they  should 
not  do  very  well  in  the  game  preserve.  I  recently  saw 
a  number  of  these  birds  on  a  preserve  on  Long  Island 
where  the  woodlands,  small  in  extent,  are  mere  thickets 
of  scrub-oak  and  pine,  and  I  was  convinced  there  were 
more  birds  there  now  than  many  years  ago  when  the 
grounds  were  open  to  every  gunner  who  came  to 
shoot,  and  every  boy  who  came  to  trap,  and  when  the 
markets  were  prepared  to  dispose  of  the  birds  at  good 
prices.  The  prohibition  of  the  sale  of  these  birds  has 
done  much.  Like  the  other  birds  they  were  rapidly 
being  exterminated. 

The  ruffed-grouse  are  found  in  the  Rocky  Mountains 
associated  with  the  blue-grouse,  and  the  Canada,  or 
spruce-grouse  (the  Western  variety  called  Franklin 
grouse).  Where  these  three  magnificent  birds  come  to- 
gether there  should  be  another  National  Park. 


XII 

THE   DUSKY-   OR   BLUE-GROUSE 

THE  ruffed-grouse  has  a  rival  in  beauty  in  the 
blue-  or  dusky-grouse  of  the  West.  This  bird 
is  much  larger  and  will  weigh  as  much  as  three  and 
one-half  pounds.  Here  as  elsewhere  among  the  game 
birds  the  variety-makers  have  been  at  work,  and  have 
given  us  two  sub-species,  so  much  alike,  however,  that 
I  must  frankly  say,  although  I  may  have  shot  them  all, 
I  could  not  know  the  difference  between  them.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  the  differences  are  slight  and  may  be 
regarded  b}^  the  sportsman  as  purely  local  or  climatic. 

The  blue-grouse  are  the  grouse  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains. Both  spruce-grouse  and  ruffed-grouse  are 
found  associated  with  them  in  places,  but  from  Ari- 
zona and  New  Mexico  to  the  British  possessions 
one  may  find  the  magnificent  blue-grouse,  and  often 
find  it  abundant.  They  are  also  found  on  the  Coast 
Range,  and  thence  eastward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

The  general  color  of  this  bird  is  a  slate-blue.     Its 

throat   is   white  and  it  is  marked  above  and  on   the 

wings   with    black.      The   general    bluish-gray   color, 

often  quite  dark,  and  its  size  render  it  unmistakable. 

The    only   bird   at  all   like   it   is  the    Canada-grouse, 

often  called  spruce-  or  black-grouse.     The  latter  bird  is 

smaller   than   the   ruffed-grouse,  however,   while   the 

blue-grouse  is  nearly  twice  as  large. 

96 


THE   DUSKY-  OR   BLUE-GROUSE         97 

Much  that  has  been  said  about  the  king  of  game- 
birds  applies  to  the  dusky-  or  blue-grouse.  I  once  said 
he  was  the  **  King  of  the  West."  In  the  spring  he  hoots 
and  struts  like  a  turkey-cock.  In  the  early  autumn 
he  lies  fairly  well  to  the  dogs,  fully  as  well  as  the 
ruffed-grouse.  His  flesh  is  white,  or  nearly  so,  and 
quite  equal  to  that  of  his  Eastern  rival. 

After  observing  the  blue-grouse  some  years  ago  I 
could  easily  imagine  how  tame  the  ruffed-grouse  were 
before  forming  man's  acquaintance,  and  I  did  not 
wonder  at  the  local  name  of  '*  fool-hen,"  which  is 
applied  to  the  Western  birds,  and  which  has  found  its 
way  into  the  legislation  of  Montana,  where  it  is  now 
unlawful  to  kill  more  than  twenty  "fool-hens  "  in  a  day. 

When  I  first  went  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  there 
were  no  restraints  of  any  kind  upon  the  shooting, 
except  at  one  point  where  there  was  an  uncertainty 
as  to  what  the  Utes  were  doing.  Blue-grouse  flew 
up  to  the  lowest  branches  of  the  trees  and  stood 
looking  at  me  in  the  friendliest  kind  of  way,  and 
I  of  course  had  no  desire  to  shoot  at  such  con- 
fiding marks.  A  few  were  shot  with  the  rifle  (shoot- 
ing off  the  head)  now  and  then  to  add  variety  to  our 
fare.  I  sometimes  took  a  shot  at  them  on  the  wing  in 
the  woodland  glades.  The  big-game  hunters  often 
had  serious  and  sinister  objections  to  the  use  of  the 
gun,  since  it  disturbed  the  larger  game.  We  always 
had  an  abundance  of  meat — elk  tenderloins,  elk  hearts, 
venison  of  both  the  black-  and  the  white-tail  deer,  and 
wild-fowl  and  trout  of  large  size,  so  that  little  attention 
was  paid  to  the  blue-grouse. 

The  fool-hens  are  fot>l-hens  no  longer  in  many  places. 


98        GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS— GROUSE 

They  have  been  rapidly  taught  what  a  man,  a  dog,  and 
a  gun  mean,  and  have  become  "  educated  birds,"  as 
the  partridge  shooters  say,  as  the  towns  have  sprung 
into  existence  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  haunts. 
One  who  has  read  Irving's  account  of  the  wild  turkeys 
standing  on  the  branches  and  gazing  in  stupid  aston- 
ishment at  the  soldiers  who  shot  them  down,  will  be 
prepared  to  believe  the  tales  of  the  former  tameness  of 
the  blue-grouse,  but  it  is  to-day  in  many  places  as  wild 
as  the  wildest  ruffed-grouse,  and  if  such  traits  are 
hereditary,  as  they  no  doubt  are,  it  will  remain  one  of 
the  most  difficult  of  all  the  gallinaceous  birds  which 
find  a  place  in  the  sportsman's  bag. 

The  surroundings  of  the  great  blue-grouse  are  all  ap- 
propriate. This  magnificent  bird  has  a  magnificent 
background.  As  I  have  observed,  he  is  nearly  twice 
as  large  as  his  ruffed  cousin  of  the  East.  His  mountains 
are  more  than  twice  as  high.  His  trees  and  rocks  and 
crags  are  many  times  as  big.  His  brooks  are  larger, 
and  flow  with  louder  noise ;  their  falls  are  more  majes- 
tic. The  fish,  too — the  mountain  trout — are  large  and 
fine,  far  bigger  than  those  of  the  Eastern  brooks. 

There  are  many  trees  in  the  woods  of  California, 
Oregon,  and  other  States  where  the  blue  grouse  lives, 
besides  the  so-called  big  trees,  Gigantea  Sequoia^  which 
grow  to  a  height  of  several  hundred  feet.  The  ground 
is  littered  with  cones  of  tremendous  size.  The  blue- 
grouse  when  moved  from  the  ground  can  fly  straight  up 
to  the  branch  of  a  tree  beyond  the  range  of  a  gun.  The 
rifle  is  more  often  used  to  shoot  them  in  many  places, 
and  in  fact  in  all  new  countries  it  is  the  only  weapon. 

In  the  late  fall,  about  the  middle  of  November,  the 


THE   DUSKY-   OR   BLUE-GROUSE         99 

blue-grouse  disappear,  and  it  is  unusual  to  see  a  single 
specimen  in  places  where  they  have  been  abundant 
until  the  following  spring.  This  disappearance  is  as 
mysterious  as  the  disappearance  of  the  woodcock  in 
the  East.  The  bears  which  roam  the  blue-grouse 
woods  also  disappear  in  the  winter,  it  is  well  known, 
and  are  not  seen  again  until  spring.  Their  where- 
abouts are  known  in  a  general  way,  but  there  is  the 
greatest  difference  of  opinion  as  to  what  becomes  of  the 
grouse.  Some  insist  that  they  are  migratory  and  go 
south.  Many  believe  that  they  retire  to  the  tops  of 
the  highest  evergreens  and  pass  the  cold  season  as 
the  bears  do,  in  a  state  of  torpor.  As  the  birds  subsist 
well  on  the  leaves  of  the  coniferae,  and  can  always  ob- 
tain sufficient  water  from  the  snow  and  raindrops  on 
the  leaves  to  supply  their  necessities,  Dr.  Suckley  was 
of  the  opinion  that  the  latter  is  the  correct  explanation, 
or  that  if  migratory  they  are  only  partially  so.  The 
torpor  is  supposed  to  be  but  partial  by  those  who  ad- 
vance the  torpor  theory. 

There  are  places  in  Oregon  where  the  blue-grouse, 
the  pheasants,  the  ruffed-grouse,  and  the  sharp-tailed 
grouse  may  be  found  close  enough  together  to  be  shot 
in  a  single  day  from  one  camp.  But  the  daily  bag  to- 
day must  be  a  small  one.  The  limit  there  is  ten  birds. 
This  is  the  law  for  upland  game.  The  wild-fowl  limit 
is  fifty  ducks. 

The  gun  for  shooting  blue-grouse  is  the  12-bore.  The 
shot  should  be  somewhat  larger  than  that  used  on 
ruffed-grouse.  I  prefer  No.  6  or  5  in  the  order  named. 
No.  7  will  do  very  well  early  in  the  season,  when  the 
birds  are  not  wild  and  when  most  of  them  are  young. 


XIII 

THE   CANADA-GROUSE,    SPRUCE-GROUSE,    OR 
BLACK-GROUSE 

THE  Canada-grouse  and  the  Rocky  Mountain 
species,  known  as  the  Franklin's  grouse,  are 
the  same  from  the  sportsman's  point  of  view.  They 
are  the  smallest  of  all  the  grouse  excepting  the  ptar- 
migan, and,  like  the  latter,  they  are  seldom  taken  by 
sportsmen  in  the  United  States. 

The  Canada-grouse  is  a  bird  of  the  Northern  woods 
and  inhabits  the  spruce  forests  of  Maine,  the  Northern 
States,  and  the  Canadian  provinces,  north  to  the 
Arctic  region  as  far  as  the  woods  extend.  The 
general  color  of  the  spruce-grouse  is  black.  It  is 
effectively  marked  below  with  white,  and  is  a  very 
handsome  bird.  It  is  often  called  the  black-grouse  on 
account  of  its  color,  but  this  name  is  more  often  ap- 
plied to  a  larger  foreign  bird.  The  female  is  lighter 
and  brown  in  color. 

The  Canada-grouse  is  more  often  seen  by  sportsmen 
who  are  in  pursuit  of  big  game,  such  as  the  moose,  elk, 
and  deer.  They  are  not  much  molested  and  are  quite 
tame,  too  tame  to  be  interesting  in  most  places.  John 
Burroughs,  describing  a  trip  into  Canada,  says :  **  We 
came  upon  two  or  three  broods  of  spruce-grouse  in 
the  road,  so  tame  that  one  could  have  knocked  them 
over  with    poles."     The    same    writer    found    them 

100 


THE  CANADA-GROUSE  loi 

common  in  the  Adirondacks,  and  once  shot  eight  in 
less  than  an  hour,  the  eighth  one,  which  was  an  old 
male,  was  killed  with  smooth  pebble  stones,  his  shot 
having  given  out. 

I  have  referred  to  the  shooting  of  the  entire  flock  of 
ruffed-grouse  from  a  tree.  There  is  a  recent  story  in 
Field  and  Stream  of  the  shooting  in  Nova  Scotia  of  an 
entire  flock  of  spruce-grouse  which  perched  upon  the 
nearest  limbs  of  the  hemlocks  and  never  "stirred" 
until  the  covey  was  exterminated.  "  I  am  ashamed," 
says  the  writer,  '*  when  I  think  how  soon  that  whole 
covey  lay  in  a  heap,  tossed  together  in  the  path. 
But  it  was  the  sad  penalty  that  the  spruce-partridge 
always  pays  for  its  stupidity  and  too  confiding  dis- 
position when  lumbermen  or  hunters  are  in  need  of 
meat."  I  have  referred  to  these  birds  being  taken 
with  a  looped  string  on  the  end  of  a  fishing-pole.  The 
reader  will  find  this  method  of  pursuit  described  and 
pictured  in  Scribners  Monthly  for  August,  1877. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  species  differs  but  little,  the 
chief  difference  is  in  the  tail  markings,  and  the  reader 
who  cares  for  such  differences  may  find  an  illustration 
of  the  two  tails  in  "  North  American  Birds,"  by  Baird 
Brewer  and  Ridgway.  I  do  not  care  enough  for  such 
matters  to  try  and  remember  the  slight  differences  in 
the  tail  markings.  They  are  both  small  black-grouse, 
beautifully  marked  with  bars  and  dots  of  white  below. 
They  are  equally  tame  and  confiding  and  entitled  to 
share  with  the  blue-grouse  the  title  of  ''fool-hen." 
As  the  larger  game  becomes  scarce  in  the  Western 
mountains  they  will  receive  more  of  the  sportsman's 
attention,  no  doubt,  and  will  soon  become  as  wild  as 


I02        GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS— GROUSE 

the  ruffed-grouse  of  New  England,  when  they  may  be 
regarded  as  desirable  game. 

Audubon  and  Forester  differ  as  to  the  table  qualities 
of  this  bird.  Audubon  regards  the  flesh  as  edible  only 
when  the  birds  have  fed  on  berries,  and  says  in  winter, 
when  it  feeds  on  the  leaves  of  trees  and  other  plants, 
the  flesh  is  quite  bitter  and  disagreeable.  Forester 
says  he  has  eaten  it  only  in  winter,  and  while  he 
admits  the  almost  resinous  aromatic  bitterness  he 
pronounces  it  delicious  in  the  extreme.  The  con- 
troversy on  this  point  is  similar  to  that  over  the  sage- 
cock  and  other  birds  whose  flesh  is  affected  to  a  marked 
degree  by  their  food.  No  doubt,  late  in  the  winter, 
when  he  has  subsisted  solely  on  spruce  buds,  the  flesh 
of  this  grouse  will  prove  unpleasant  and  unpalatable. 
When  the  spruce  is  but  a  part  of  his  diet,  the  flavor,  I 
can  well  imagine,  is  not  objectionable,  since  I  can  stand 
a  decided  trace  of  the  sage  in  the  flesh  of  the  sage- 
grouse,  provided  always  he  be  young  and  tender. 


XIV 

THE   PTARMIGAN 

THE  ptarmigan  is  the  smallest  of  all  the  grouse  and 
is  only  found  in  the  Arctic  regions  and  high  up 
in  our  Western  mountains.  It  is  fond  of  the  snow,  and, 
like  the  Northern  hare  and  some  other  birds  and  animals, 
it  turns  white  in  winter  for  protection.  The  variety 
makers  have  been  especially  industrious  with  this  race 
and  have  given  us  a  long  line  of  sub-species,  but  they 
are  all  small  birds,  gray  and  brown  in  summer  and 
pure  white  in  winter,  excepting  the  tail,  which  contains 
black  feathers  in  most  of  the  varieties.  The  white-tailed 
ptarmigan  is  the  bird  seen  on  the  alpine  summits  of 
the  mountains  of  Western  North  America,  from  Mex- 
ico to  British  America.  This  bird  was  some  years 
ago  fairly  abundant  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado,  but 
it  is  now  rare  in  most  places.  A  friend  who  had  some 
mines  well  up  in  the  mountains  told  me  that  the  birds 
came  down  to  their  camps  in  winter  and  that  his  miners 
killed  many  of  them.  They  were  not  very  wild  and 
not  difficult  marks.  Many  no  doubt  were  shot  sitting, 
and  it  is  no  wonder  that  as  the  number  of  shot-guns 
increased,  these  handsome  birds  diminished. 

Although  I  went  several  times  to  the  mountain  tops 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  look  for  these  birds,  I  never 
was  fortunate  enough  to  see  one  alive. 

In  Alaska  they  are  quite  abundant,  and  the  Indians 

103 


104      GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS— GROUSE 

capture  many  of  them  with  snares.  They  are  there 
found  on  the  level  plains  and  are  shot  like  prairie-grouse. 
Lieutenant  McConnell,of  the  revenue  cutter  Bear,  wrote 
an  excellent  account  of  this  sport  for  a  magazine  now 
out  of  print ;  this  is  quoted  at  length  in  "  True  Game 
Birds."  The  shooting  was  done  in  company  with 
some  Esquimaux,  who  "pointed  and  retrieved,"  the 
lieutenant  says,  "in  a  way  that  would  have  put  many 
a  good  bird-dog  to  shame." 

The  ptarmigan  is  almost  invisible  in  winter  when  it 
sits  motionless  on  the  snow;  but  the  great  snowy  owl 
is  said  to  find  many  of  them,  and  the  foxes  are  here,  as 
elsewhere,  the  natural  enemies  of  the  grouse. 

The  ptarmigans  pack  as  soon  as  the  young  are  full 
grown,  and  Mr.  Tripp  records  seeing  flocks  containing 
one  hundred  or  more  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado. 
Their  flight  is  well  sustained  and  rapid,  and  they  are 
able  to  fly  great  distances,  but,  like  the  prairie-grouse, 
when  not  much  pressed  they  do  not  fly  far.  Mr.  Tripp 
says  that  when  seldom  molested  they  are  very  tame, 
but  when  persistently  pursued  they  become  wild  and 
leave  the  range  of  a  shot-gun  with  surprising  quickness. 
After  several  large  flocks  had  been  hunted  for  three  or 
four  days  they  grew  so  shy  that  it  was  difficult  to  ap- 
proach within  gunshot,  although  at  first  they  had  been 
comparatively  tame.  Nimble  of  foot,  the  ptarmigan 
frequently  prefers  to  run  away  on  the  approach  of 
danger  rather  than  take  wing,  running  over  the  rocks 
and  leaping  from  point  to  point  with  great  agility, 
stopping  every  little  while  to  look  at  the  object  of 
alarm.  "  I  sometimes  chased  them,"  Mr.  Tripp  says, 
"  half  a  mile  or  more  over  the  rocky,  craggy  ridges 


THE  PTARMIGAN  105 

of  the  main  range  without  being  able  to  get  within 
gunshot,  or  force  them  to  take  wing.'* 

The  ptarmigan  known  as  Welch's  ptarmigan  inhabits 
Newfoundland.  It  is  described  as  a  dark-grayish  bird, 
with  a  bluish  tinge  on  the  plumage,  which  has  been 
likened  to  the  color  of  the  sooty-grouse  (the  blue- 
grouse),  while  all  the  feathers  are  dotted  with  blackish 
white. 

Like  all  the  others  it  is  white  in  winter.  At  the 
time  the  check  list  of  the  American  Ornithological 
Union  was  published  there  were  listed  no  fewer  than 
eight  species  and  sub-species  of  the  ptarmigan.  Elliot 
in  his  recent  book  mentions  two  more,  and  "still  they 
come  "  no  doubt,  or  will  come,  as  the  various  Aleutian 
islands  are  explored  by  ornithologists  who  delight  in 
making  new  varieties.  They  might  all  belong  to  one 
flock,  however,  in  winter,  except  the  one  called  the 
white-tail ;  and  the  summer  dress  changes  so  rapidly  in 
all  the  species  when  they  begin  to  turn  white,  that  the 
various  piebald  specimens  of  a  single  species  might 
well  delight  the  ornithologist  looking  always  for  the 
new. 

It  does  not  require  the  imagination  of  a  Jules  Verne 
to  picture  a  game  preserve  occupying  an  Alaskan 
island,  where  the  great  Northern  bears,  both  grizzly 
and  polar,  may  be  shot  the  same  day  with  the  small 
white  grouse  by  the  sportsman  who  has  come  from 
San  Francisco  on  his  yacht. 


XV 

THE  PARTRIDGES 

PARTRIDGES  are  distinguished  from  the  grouse  by 
their  size  being  smaller  and  by  their  naked  legs  ; 
they  are  larger  than  the  European  quails  and  distin- 
guished from  the  smaller  birds  in  many  ways.  The 
foreign  quails  are  migratory,  fly  in  large  flocks  and  go 
long  distances,  even  crossing  the  Mediterranean.  The 
American  partridges  are  none  of  them  migratory ; 
although  they  have  been  known  to  move  short  dis- 
tances, usually  for  food  or  water,  they  are  found  more 
often  year  after  year  in  the  same  field,  or  at  least  on  the 
same  farm.  The  European  quail  are  smaller  than  the 
partridges.  There  is  some  difference  in  the  shape  ot 
the  wings,  the  size  and  strength  of  the  bill  and  the 
number  of  feathers  in  and  the  length  of  the  tails.  The 
birds  now  listed  in  the  check  list  among  the  par- 
tridges, the  Bob-whites,  have  always  been  partridges 
in  Virginia  and  the  South,  but  in  the  North  and  West 
they  are  more  often  spoken  of  as  quail. 

As  I  recently  said  in  writing  for  a  magazine,  we  live 
truly  in  an  iconoclastic  age  when  that  idol  of  the 
gourmand  **  Quail  on  Toast "  is  shattered. 

The  discussion  as  to  name,  however,  which  begun 
long  before  "  Field  Sports "  was  written,  has  at  last 
been  settled.  The  Ornithological  Union  has  made  the 
list  complete   of  all  American  birds.      There  are  no 

io6 


THE   PARTRIDGES  107 

quails  in  the  list.  I  have  at  another  place  suggested 
that  we  drop  the  term  quail  and  "  quail  shooting." 

The  partridge  most  familiar  to  sportsmen  is  the 
Bob-white.  This  is  the  bird  most  widely  distributed, 
being  found  from  New  England  to  the  Gulf  and  west- 
ward to  the  great  plains,  following  civilization  to  the 
Northwest  as  far  as  it  can  stand  the  winters,  and  thriv- 
ing in  California  and  many  Western  States  where  it  has 
been  introduced. 

Two  partridges  live  in  California  and  the  Pacific 
Coast  region,  known  as  the  California  valley  partridge 
and  the  mountain  partridge.  The  former  is  smaller 
than  Bob-white,  the  latter  larger.  The  other  par- 
tridges are  all  Southwestern  birds,  have  limited 
ranges,  and  are  found  from  the  Rio  Grande  country  in 
Texas  to  Lower  California  and  Mexico.  The  scaled 
partridge  is  most  abundant  in  Texas  and  New  Mexico, 
the  Gambels  partridge  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 
The  Massena  is  nowhere  very  abundant,  but  is  found  in 
Mexico  and  the  adjacent  States  and  Territories,  east  as 
far  as  San  Antonio,  Texas.  The  range  of  all  the  birds 
will  be  found  stated  with  accuracy  in  the  appendix. 

The  Florida  Bob-white  and  the  Texas  Bob-white 
are  the  same  as  the  Northern  bird,  save  as  to  slight 
difference  of  color.  They  are,  too,  a  little  smaller 
than  the  Northern  birds.  The  differences,  however, 
I  regard  as  purely  local  or  climatic. 

All  the  Western  and  Southwestern  birds  are  noted 
for  their  beautitul  plumage  and  plumes  or  crests. 
Bob- white,  of  course,  is  brown  and  gray. 

Bob-white  is  the  best  of  all  the  partridges  both  in 
the  field  and  on  the  table. 


io8     GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

The  variety  makers  have  given  us  about  as  man}' 
Bob-whites  as  ptarmigans:  Pueblo  Bob- white,  black 
breasted  Bob-white,  Godman's  Bob-white,  Coyolco's 
Bob-white,  black-headed  Bob-white,  Salvin*s  Bob- 
white,  Guatemala  Bob-white,  and  Yucatan  Bob- 
white.  As  their  names  indicate  they  have  the  same 
whistle,  they  are  no  doubt  one  and  the  same  bird,  the 
slight  differences  being  climatic  or  geographical. 


XVI 

BOB-WHITE 

BOB-WHITE  is  a  trim  and  handsome  partridge, 
intermediate  in  size  between  the  quails  and  par- 
tridges of  the  old  world.  He  is  conceded  to  be  the 
best  game  bird  in  America.  In  my  opinion  he  has  not 
his  equal  in  the  world.  He  lies  well  to  the  dog,  as  I 
have  said  before,  tests  to  the  utmost  the  sportsman's 
skill  in  the  open,  and  in  cover  seldom  takes  to  the 
trees,  is  of  convenient  size  for  the  game  pocket,  and  is 
excellent  for  the  table.  He  is  certainly  a  better  game 
bird  than  any  of  the  grouse,  since  over  dogs  they  are 
too  easy  marks,  or  fly  too  often  to  the  trees.  He  is 
better  than  the  imported  pheasants  or  the  partridges 
of  Europe,  since  he  lies  better  to  the  dogs  ;  and  birds 
shot  over  dogs  are  superior  as  game  to  those  shot  from 
ambush — the  ducks  and  shore-birds  or  waders. 

After  a  long  controversy  the  ornithologists  are 
agreed  that  he  is  a  partridge,  not  a  quail,  and  have 
given  him  the  name  Bob-white;  by  which  he  was 
known  to  country  folk  long  before. 

During  the  mating  and  nesting  season  he  whistles 
the  notes  loud  and  clear  which  are  supposed  to  resem- 
ble the  words  "  ah  Bob-white,"  and  so  he  may  be  said 
to  have  whistled  for  himself  a  name. 

Early  in  the  spring  this  partridge  seeks  a  mate.  The 

nest  is  built  upon  the  -ground,  usually  well  concealed 

109 


no  GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS-PARTRIDGES 

in  grass  or  weeds.  There  are  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
eggs,  sometimes  more,  and  while  the  hen  is  sitting  on 
the  nest,  the  male  bird  from  near-by  fence  or  stump 
whistles  his  familiar  notes.  The  young  are  precocious 
in  the  extreme,  and  run  and  pick  at  food  as  soon  as 
they  leave  the  shell.  They  have  wonderful  ability  to 
hide,  and  when  danger  comes,  the  hen  sounds  a  warn- 
ing note,  and  the  little  birds  disappear  as  if  by  magic. 
Often  the  old  bird  flutters  away  as  if  badly  injured 
and  unable  to  fly,  and  so  attempts  to  lead  her  enemy 
away. 

Some  say  this  partridge  will  rear  two  broods  in  a 
year.  I  believe  they  sometimes  do.  Certain  it  is  that 
if  the  first  young  birds  are  destroyed,  the  hen  will  nest 
again.  Such  nests  are  often  found  late  in  the  summer. 
A  nest  was  discovered  last  year  in  New  Jersey  contain- 
ing fourteen  eggs,  which  were  hatched  as  late  as  the 
middle  of  October,  and  every  sportsman  has  seen  very 
small  birds  as  late  as  the  beginning  of  that  month. 

The  food  of  this  partridge  consists  largely  of  seeds, 
berries,  and  grain.  It  is  distinctly  a  bird  of  the  farm, 
and  thrives  best  in  civilization.  In  the  summer  it  be- 
comes tame,  but  as  the  fall  approaches  is  quite  wild 
again,  and  it  seems  impossible  to  domesticate  it.  Bob- 
white  is  said  to  be  partially  migratory.  I  had  always 
doubted  this  until  a  few  years  ago  when  I  found  a 
number  of  coveys  just  before  the  season  opened,  which 
were  gone  before  that  date.  They  were  quite  near  my 
house,  and  the  birds  had  not  been  shot  at,  so  I  was  con- 
vinced when  good  dogs  failed  to  find  them  that  they 
at  least  were  gone.  In  dry  seasons,  or  when  the  food 
gives  out,  partridges  are  compelled  to  move,  since  they 


BOB-WHITE  III 

must  have  food  and  water.  In  Southern  Illinois  one 
very  dry  season  I  found  no  birds  in  the  fields  where 
they  should  have  been,  and  later  found  many  coveys 
about  a  ditch  which  had  water  standing  in  it. 

At  night  the  covey  takes  a  short  flight  to  break  the 
scent.  The  birds  sit  closely  together  in  a  concen- 
tric huddle,  with  their  heads  out,  so  that  they  have  a 
lookout  in  every  direction  and  it  is  difficult  to  ap- 
proach without  alarming  them.  The  chalk-like  drop- 
pings in  a  circle  indicate  the  presence  of  the  birds  in  a 
field,  and  often  show  that  they  are  in  the  habit  of  roost- 
ing in  the  same  field  every  night.  Work  the  dogs 
thoroughly  when  you  see  such  signs.  Be  sure  the 
covey  is  not  far  away. 

In  winter  the  partridges  again  become  quite  tame,  and 
often  come  into  the  barn-yards  in  search  of  food.  It  pays 
well  to  feed  them  at  such  time,  especially  if  the  winter 
is  quite  severe.  At  the  clubs,  food  is  liberally  supplied, 
and  often  patches  of  grain  are  planted  and  left  stand- 
ing especially  for  the  birds.  Farmers  and  sportsmen 
often  feed  the  birds. 

When  a  heavy  snow  falls  the  partridges  sit  quite 
still  until  they  are  buried  in  it,  and  then  if  a  crust  is 
frozen  on  the  top  they  all  are  imprisoned  and  surely 
perish.  A  few  corn-shocks  left  standing  and  a  few 
brush-heaps,  where  the  food  is  scattered,  will  save  the 
lives  of  many  birds. 

In  some  severe  winters  partridges  are  almost  exter- 
minated. It  is  then  necessary  to  pass  a  law  prohibit- 
ing shooting  for  a  term  of  years,  when  the  birds  will 
again  be  found  abundant. 

In  Northwestern   Oljio  some  years  ago  after  such  a 


112  GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

storm,  it  turned  very  cold  and  a  thick  crust  of  ice  was 
formed  on  top  of  the  deep  snow.  Many  coveys  on  one 
of  my  favorite  shooting  grounds  were  imprisoned  and 
the  birds  perished.  Where  I  had  shot  scores  of  birds 
in  a  day  one  year,  the  next  autumn  I  found  but  one 
small  covey  of  eight  or  ten  birds  in  two  days  of  indus- 
trious tramping  behind  good  dogs.  The  Legislature 
was  appealed  to,  and  a  law  providing  a  close  season  of 
several  years*  duration  was  passed,  and  to  the  credit 
of  the  sportsmen  of  the  State  it  was  obeyed,  with  the 
result  that  the  birds  were  again  abundant  at  the  end 
of  the  close  time  and  have  been  fairly  abundant  in 
Ohio  ever  since. 

After  a  severe  snow,  but  a  few  years  ago,  which  pre- 
vented the  partridges  from  obtaining  food,  the  Lou- 
donville  Gun  Club  (in  Ohio)  requested  the  farmers  to 
clear  a  protected  spot  on  their  farms  and  agreed  to 
scatter  the  necessary  food  on  such  places,  whether 
they  were  permitted  to  hunt  on  the  premises  or  not, 
and  Mr.  Pond,  the  editor  of  the  Sportsman  s  Review^ 
well  says,  the  example  is  one  which  should  be  fol- 
lowed by  all  gun  clubs  in  localities  where  such  con- 
ditions may  exist. 

The  partridge  is  distributed  from  New  England  and 
Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  west  to  South  Da- 
kota, Kansas,  and  Texas.  As  civilization  has  moved 
westward  this  bird  has  gone  with  it,  and  is  now 
found  over  a  larger  area  in  the  Western  States  than 
formerly.  It  has  been  introduced  into  California  and 
the  Salt  Lake  valley,  and  should  do  well  in  these 
places.  These  partridges  are  most  abundant  to-day  in 
the  Southern  States  from  North  Carolina  and  Georgia 


BOB-WHITE  113 

to  Texas,  and  in  Southern  Illinois,  parts  of  Missouri,  and 
Kansas.  They  were  extremely  abundant  in  Oklahoma, 
but  recent  reports  state  that  there  has  been  entirely 
too  much  shooting,  with  the  usual  result. 

The  report  of  Governor  Brodie  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Interior  contains  a  statement  that  the  efforts 
to  introduce  Bob-whites  and  imported  pheasants  into 
Arizona  have  so  far  not  been  very  successful. 

This  partridge  is  by  far  the  best  bird  for  the  upland 
game  preserve.  As  a  rule  it  does  not  wander  far,  and 
when  food  is  supplied  it  will  survive  the  severest  win- 
ter. It  is  not  difficult  to  stock  a  preserve,  provided 
care  is  used  in  putting  down  the  birds.  Some  clubs, 
when  the  shooting  is  excessive,  restock  the  grounds 
every  year.  The  birds  should  be  put  out  early  in  the 
spring  and  food  scattered  about  the  place  of  their  re- 
lease. 

I  once  purchased  a  crate  of  ten  birds  which  I  saw  in 
the  Cincinnati  market  and  gave  them  to  a  friend  who 
had  a  large  country  place.  Early  in  the  year  the  crate 
was  placed  not  far  from  the  house,  and  after  the  birds 
had  become  accustomed  to  their  surroundings  we  re- 
moved one  of  the  slats  at  evening  and  in  the  morning 
the  birds  came  out  and  were  soon  feeding  in  the  grass. 
Before  long  they  separated,  and  one  pair  nested  on 
the  lawn,  quite  near  the  house,  another  in  the  garden 
and  the  others  not  far  away.  The  natural  enemies  of 
the  partridge,  the  foxes,  hawks  and  domestic  cats  and 
dogs,  should  be  kept  down,  of  course,  and  if  too  many 
birds  are  not  shot  in  the  autumn  they  will  increase 
from  year  to  year. 

The  modern  farm  implements,  the  mowers  and  reap- 


114    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

ers,  do  much  damage  to  the  nesting  quail,  and  when  it 
is  desired  to  preserve  them  it  is  best  to  leave  a  stump 
or  two  in  the  fields  surrounded  bj  long  grass  and 
briers,  and  these  will  save  many  birds.  The  game- 
keeper on  a  preserve  should,  of  course,  know  where 
each  bird  has  its  nest,  and  if  in  a  field  of  grass  or  grain, 
the  farm  implements  may  be  driven  around  it,  not  too 
close  to  disturb  the  mother  bird.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
find  the  nests,  since  the  cock-bird  whistles  daily  from 
a  place  quite  near  it.  Partridges  are  especially  fond  of 
buckwheat,  and  a  small  area  of  this  grain  planted  and 
left  standing  for  their  use  will  attract  them  to  the 
place.  An  old  tree-top  or  open  brush-heap,  left  in  a 
field,  will  afford  shelter  in  the  winter  and  a  nesting- 
place  besides.  But  a  few  years  ago  no  attention  was 
paid  to  these  matters.  They  are  not  mentioned  in  our 
books,  but  with  the  growth  of  game-preserving  many 
individuals  and  clubs  are  giving  their  attention  to  the 
proper  propagation  of  the  game  and  its  protection  in 
the  winter.  Hedges  and  the  old  rail  fences  are  far 
better  for  the  partridges  than  the  modern  wire  fences, 
since  they  afford  cover  and  protection  on  every  side  of 
the  field.  Tall  grasses,  weeds,  and  briers  allowed  to 
grow  about  the  fences  furnish  not  only  protection  to 
the  birds  from  their  enemies  the  hawks,  but  afford 
them  food,  both  seeds  and  berries.  An  apple-tree  here 
and  there,  when  the  apples  are  allowed  to  remain  upon 
the  ground,  proves  an  additional  attraction  to  the 
birds,  and  there  are  many  places  now  where  the  birds 
are  worth  more  than  the  fruit. 

Many  partridges  were  formerly  taken  by  traps  and 
nets.     1  have  destroyed  many  of  these  when  shooting 


BOB-WHITE  115 

in  the  fields.  So  long  as  the  open  sale  of  birds  was 
legal  the  temptation  to  so  take  them  remained.  The 
use  of  traps  and  the  sale  of  game  is  now  prohibited  in 
most  of  the  States,  and  many  farmers  now  rent  the 
shooting  on  the  farms,  and  are  prepared  to  aid  the 
execution  of  the  law. 

Partridges,  as  sportsmen  know,  prefer  the  open 
fields — stubble  and  corn  in  the  order  named.  They 
are  seldom  seen  far  within  large  woods.  When 
alarmed  they  fly  at  once  to  the  woods  or  thickets, 
there  to  remain  until  the  danger  passes.  Small  woods 
and  thickets  with  much  underbrush  and  briers  are 
better  than  large  woodland  tracts  and  furnish  all  the 
cover  which  the  birds  require.  Small  streams  and 
ponds  and  springs  furnish  water  for  the  birds  and 
seem  necessary  for  their  existence.  The  birds  are 
partial  to  a  railway  passing  through  a  farm  and  there 
find  gravel,  sand,  and  often  grain  dropped  from  a 
passing  freight-train. 

The  open  season  for  partridge  shooting  a  few  years 
ago  was  much  too  long.  Beginning  as  early  as  Octo- 
ber, or  even  September  in  some  States,  it  lasted  until 
March  or  April,  long  after  the  birds  had  sought 
their  mates.  Coveys  are  more  easily  seen  and  potted 
on  the  snow.  A  shorter  season  is  now  provided  in 
many  States.  A  uniform  law  providing  for  an  open 
season  beginning  November  ist  and  ending  with  the 
year  would  be  exactly  right. 

The  gun  for  partridge  shooting  should  be  a  light  12 
or  16  gauge,  the  barrels  open  or  but  slightly  choked, 
since  the  shots  are  at  short  range.  A  shooting-coat  with 
many  pockets,  leggins^and  stout  shoes  are  best.     Set- 


ii6    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

ters  and  pointers  of  field-trial  parentage,  but  trained 
to  hunt  before  the  gun  and  not  to  range  too  far,  will 
furnish  better  shooting  than  the  wider  ranging  dogs. 
They  should  go  fast,  but  not  too  far,  and  should  cover 
all  the  ground. 

A  few  years  ago  there  was  no  limit  to  the  bag. 
The  birds  were  killed  by  hundreds  in  a  day.  The 
legal  limit  now  is  often  small.  In  one  State  (Ver- 
mont) it  is  but  five  birds  of  any  kind  in  a  day.  A 
limit  of  two  or  three  dozen  birds  a  day  would,  in  my 
opinion,  be  just  right.  On  many  days  this  bag  cannot 
be  made,  and  when  a  good  day  comes,  I  see  no  reason 
why  the  limit  should  not  be  at  least  two  dozen  birds. 
On  preserves  the  limit  is  often  fixed  by  a  club  rule, 
which  should,  of  course,  limit  the  killing  sufficiently 
to  save  enough  birds  to  restock  the  grounds.  On  the 
English  stubbles  and  Scottish  moors,  the  bags  are 
often  large,  but  care  is  taken  that  enough  remain. 

In  the  morning  the  partridges  start  out  afoot  to  feed 
upon  the  fields.  When  the  day  is  fine  they  move  early, 
and  the  sportsman  may  also  make  an  early  start  and 
take  the  field  as  soon  as  the  sun  is  up.  On  cold  and 
stormy  days  the  birds  will  not  move  so  early,  and 
when  it  rains  and  the  wind  is  high  they  may  not  move 
at  all.  As  a  general  rule,  however,  I  would  advise  an 
earlier  start  than  that  proposed  by  Forester.  Cast  off 
the  dogs,  a  pair,  not  more,  in  the  stubble  or  field  of 
corn,  and  see  that  they  look  well  to  the  sides  of  the 
field  before  leaving  it.  Experienced  dogs  will  seek  the 
likely  places  first,  the  little  knolls  or  depressions  where 
the  cover  seems  to  be  the  best.  Give  good  dogs  few 
orders,  or  better  none  at  all,  and  they  will  soon  find 


BOB-WHITE  117 

and  point  the  covey.  Approaching  without  haste, 
walk  in  and  flush  the  birds.  By  no  means  shoot  them 
on  the  ground,  and  refuse  at  once  to  shoot  with  one 
who  would  suggest  it.  As  the  birds  arise  with  noisy 
wings,  select  one  far  out  on  your  own  side  and  having 
killed  or  missed  it,  shoot  again.  Do  not,  like  Mr.  Tup- 
man,  shoot  vaguely  at  the  flock  with  both  eyes  shut. 
Such  shooting  may  possibly  wound  some  birds  but 
more  likely  will  hit  them  not  at  all.  Mark  well  the 
birds  which  cross  the  woodland  fence.  They  will  not 
go  far  beyond  it.  And  here  the  sportsmen  differ  in 
their  methods  of  pursuit.  Some  say  do  not  follow  the 
scattered  birds  at  once  but  seek  another  covey  first. 
This  is  the  rule  of  action  laid  down  by  Forester,  Lewis, 
and  some  other  writers.  Many  sportsmen  of  much  ex- 
perience, however,  will  lose  no  time  in  getting  to  the 
woods. 

It  is  certain  that  often  the  birds  will  not  be  found 
even  by  the  best  of  dogs,  and  many  say  they  have  the 
power  of  withholding  their  scent.  I  have  often  marked 
the  birds  to  a  small  thicket,  or  even  patch  of  briers, 
where  they  certainly  went  down,  once  between  me 
and  a  horse  within  the  field,  and  with  the  best  of  dogs 
I  could  make  but  one  of  them  take  wing.  On  one 
occasion  I  even  saw  a  partridge  on  the  ground  and 
two  dogs  as  good  as  any  passed  each  side  of  it,  and 
but  a  few  feet  away.  They  even  failed  to  take  notice 
of  it  when  I  again  brought  them  where  it  was,  and 
finally  I  moved  it  with  my  foot,  when  up  it  went. 
There  were  at  least  fifteen  birds  in  the  covey,  and  all 
were  on  the  ground,  but  not  one  more  was  moved, 
although   the   dogs   ^ere    worked   closely   back  and 


ii8    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

forth.  An  hour  later  I  returned  to  the  same  place 
and  the  birds  were  pointed  one  by  one.  Whether  the 
birds  actually  have  the  power  of  withholding  the 
scent  we  do  not  know.  They  certainly  are  often  safe 
from  the  noses  of  good  dogs.  The  best  opinion  seems 
to  me  to  be  that  the  scent  is  dissipated  by  the  birds' 
rapid  passage  through  the  air,  and  when  they  first 
alight  they  press  their  wings  closely  to  their  bodies, 
and  do  not  give  forth  any  scent  until  they  move  again. 

Since  the  birds  do  not  always  act  in  this  manner, 
how^ever,  1  believe  it  is  well  to  follow  them  at  once, 
especially  if  the  beat  will  take  one  far  from  the  place.  It 
may  be  the  birds  have  moved  or  for  other  reason  give 
forth  some  scent,  and  the  dogs  will  at  once  point  them 
one  by  one.  The  matter  is,  however,  easily  ascer- 
tained. If  the  birds  are  not  found  at  once,  it  is  well 
to  leave  them  and  return  later. 

Partridges  fly  rapidly.  They  seem  to  be  under  full 
headway  as  they  leave  the  ground.  It  is  absolutely 
necessary,  as  I  have  repeatedly  said,  to  shoot  well  over 
rising  birds,  and  well  ahead  of  those  which  go  off  to 
right  or  left.  An  old  English  game-keeper,  quoted  by 
Stuart- VVortley,  well  said,  "  You  will  surely  miss  them 
if  you  shoot  where  they  are."  It  is  important  that  the 
shot  should  be  so  placed  that  the  bird  will  fly  into  the 
centre  of  the  charge.  The  effective  killing-area  is  in 
the  centre  of  the  pattern.  Straggling  shot  at  the 
sides  will  often  wound  or  miss  the  bird,  and  the  same 
writer  says  "  wounded  birds  will  distress  a  first-rate 
man,  so  that  he  would  almost  as  soon  have  missed 
them  altogether."  By  shooting  at  the  centre  of  the 
flock  several  birds  may  possibly  be  killed  at  one  shot, 


BOB-WHITE  119 

but  more  are  often  wounded.  Remember,  therefore, 
to  shoot  at  a  single  bird,  and  aim  well  forward  and 
high.  Of  course,  if  the  covey  be  flushed  on  a  hill-side, 
and  the  birds  fly  down,  the  aim  should  be  well  under 
instead  of  over  them.  Beginners  shoot  under  and 
behind  the  birds.  Mayer  says :  *'The  velocity  of  an 
ounce  of  No.  8  shot,  driven  with  three  drams  of  pow. 
der,  is  near  to  nine  hundred  feet  per  second.  In  that 
second  a  Bob-white,  if  under  full  headway,  will  go 
eighty-eight  feet,  if  we  estimate  the  velocity  of  his 
flight  so  low  only  as  a  mile  a  minute.  If  he  is  flying 
directly  across  your  line  of  sight  and  thirty  yards  off, 
the  shot  will  take  one-tenth  of  a  second  to  reach  that 
distance,  and  in  one-tenth  of  a  second  the  bird  has 
gone  over  eight  and  eight-tenths  feet.'*  It  is  a  most 
difficult  point  for  a  beginner,  and  he  continues  to  miss 
until  he  can  bring  himself  to  shoot  well  ahead  of  cross- 
flying  shots  and  well  over  rising  birds.  In  shooting  at 
ducks  when  several  are  flying  in  a  line,  one  behind  the 
other,  he  will  be  surprised  to  see  a  bird  far  behind  the 
one  he  shot  at  fall  dead.  The  reader  will  find  exam- 
ples of  this  in  the  chapters  on  the  water-fowl.  Par- 
tridges require  hard  hitting  to  bring  them  down.  It 
is  therefore  all-important  that  the  aim  be  true.  As  for 
the  shot.  No.  9  will  do  early  in  the  season,  but  a  little 
later  No.  8  will  be  found  more  effective. 

Two  sportsmen  are  the  proper  number  in  partridge 
shooting.  If  there  are  more  in  the  party  they  should 
take  separate  beats.  I  shot  many  seasons  with  a  friend 
in  Northern  Ohio  and  we  were  often  joined  by  local 
sportsmen  who  knew  the  grounds,  but  we  always 
divided  up,  coming  together  at  the  noon  hour  to  dis- 


120    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

cuss  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  and  again  at  night,  at  a 
point  where  our  wagon  picked  us  up.  The  dogs  should 
be  two  in  number  and  owned  and  handled  by  one  per- 
son without  the  slightest  interference.  When  both 
sportsmen  own  dogs,  they  can  be  handled  alternately 
on  different  days  to  advantage.  Dogs  that  are  accus- 
tomed to  hunting  together  will  do  the  best  work. 
Strangers  are  often  jealous  of  each  other  and  work 
badly. 

Partridges  are  often  found  in  the  vicinity  of  old 
deserted  cabins  and  houses.  They  find  much  food  in 
the  garden  or  orchard,  and  such  places  are  almost  cer- 
tain to  harbor  a  covey.  I  always  go  out  of  my  way  to 
run  the  dogs  over  such  places,  and  many  sportsmen  of 
my  acquaintance  do  the  same.  Mr.  King,  an  accom- 
plished sportsman  of  Pittsburgh,  recently  told  me  that 
he  once  flushed  a  covey  which  flew  directly  toward  a 
house  some  distance  away,  when  he  lost  sight  of  them, 
flying  low.  He  approached  the  house,  thinking  that 
he  would  ask  the  owner's  permission  to  shoot,  but  dis- 
covered that  it  was  abandoned,  both  doors  and  windows 
were  out.  Knowing  well  the  fondness  of  partridges 
for  such  places,  he  proceeded  to  run  his  dogs  over  the 
ground  on  all  sides  of  the  house,  but  failed  to  move  a 
bird  and  gave  them  up.  Just  before  going  away,  how- 
ever, he  decided,  out  of  an  idle  curiosity,  to  enter  the 
house,  when  with  a  loud  whirring  the  whole  covey 
went  out  through  the  windows,  and  as  my  friend  ex- 
pressed it,  he  was  too  astonished  to  fire  a  shot. 

I  have  known  the  wood-grouse  also  to  enter  aban- 
doned houses,  and  the  reader  will  do  well,  especially 
when  hunting  partridges,  not  to  pass  one  by. 


BOB-WHITE  121 

In  a  bulletin  issued  (1885)  by  the  Agricultural  Depart- 
ment of  the  national  Government,  I  find  the  following : 
"  The  question  is  often  asked  whether  the  habit  quail 
(partridges)  have  of  lying  to  the  dog  is  natural  or 
acquired.  To  get  a  satisfactory  answer  one  has  only 
to  hunt  in  different  parts  of  Indian  Territory.  In  the 
region  west  of  Fort  Sill  the  quail  never  think  of  stop- 
ping when  they  see  a  dog,  but  run  as  fast  as  possible, 
and  upon  his  near  approach  they  flush  immediately, 
just  as  one  may  suppose  they  do  on  the  approach  of  a 
coyote.  In  the  eastern  part  of  the  Territory,  near  the 
railroad,  the  quail  lie  quite  well  to  a  dog  and,  as  they 
are  exceedingly  abundant,  excellent  sport  may  be  had 
from  November  until  March." 

This  brings  to  mind  an  opinion  expressed  by  that 
distinguished  ornithologist,  Dr.  Coues:  "I  am  inclined 
to  think  indeed,"  he  says,  "that  the  lying  of  quail 
[partridges],^  an  essential  feature  for  the  chase  in  its 
perfection,  is  almost  as  much  a  result  of  education  as 
the  'pointing'  that  the  intelligent  brute  who  helps  us 
kill  them  has  learned.  In  a  primitive  and  strictly  nat- 
ural condition,  quail  as  a  general  rule  rather  use  their 
legs  to  escape  pursuit,  than  squat  and  attempt  to  hide. 
That  the  reverse  is  the  case  with  the  Virginia  quail 
[the  Bob-white],  I  am  perfectly  aware,  but  this  proves 
nothing  to  the  contrary,  and  I  am  inclined  to  think  its 
crouching  until  almost  trodden  upon,  to  be  an  acquired 
trick.  This  would  surely  be  a  poor  way  to  escape 
from  any  of  its  natural  enemies — any  carnivorous  bird 

*  This  was  written  before  the  Ornithological  Union,  of  which  Dr.  Coues 
was  a  member,  decided  that  the  birds  are  partridges.  The  brackets  are 
mine.  * 


122    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

or  mammal;  yet  they  found  it  to  succeed  so  well  against 
their  chief  persecutor,  that  he  has  had  to  call  in  the  aid 
of  a  sharper  sighted,  sharper-nosed  brute  than  himself, 
else  he  might  stumble  over  stubble-fields  all  day  with- 
out seeing  a  bird  except  by  accident.  I  presume  that 
Virginia  quail  in  the  days  of  Captain  Smith  and  Poca- 
hontas were  very  much  in  the  social  status  of  the 
Oregonians  to-day ;  and  those  certainly  trust  to  their 
legs  and  wings  rather  than  to  the  artifice  of  thrusting 
their  heads  in  a  tussock  of  grass  and  then  fancying 
they  are  safe."  .  .  .  "It  will  probably  require  sev- 
eral generations  in  training  before  the  blue  or  scaled 
partridge  of  the  Southwest,  which  now  trusts  to  its 
legs  rather  than  its  wings,  and  glides  along  with  mar- 
vellous celerity,  can  be  taught  to  lie  well  to  the  dog." 

A  mixed  bag  is  attractive,  and  an  opportunity  is  here 
presented  to  some  of  the  Southern  clubs  and  to  gentle- 
men owning  private  preserves,  to  give  not  only  the 
blue  partridge,  but  the  California  and  Gambel's  par- 
tridge also,  some  lessons  in  lying  to  the  dogs.  Having 
seen  those  birds  go,  afoot,  I  am  prepared  to  say  the 
lessons,  if  successful,  would  make  them  better  birds. 

As  I  have  said,  efforts  to  introduce  Bob-white  into 
Arizona  have  not  been  so  far  very  successful.  A  few 
hogs  introduced  at  the  same  time  with  Bob-white 
would  aid  the  birds,  in  my  opinion,  in  that  land  of 
snakes  and  reptiles.  The  habit  of  "lying  close" 
would  certainly  not  work  well  with  snakes. 

Partridges  when  disturbed,  as  I  have  observed,  at 
once  fly  to  the  nearest  cover,  and  there,  though  well 
scattered,  the  dogs  point  them  one  by  one.  The 
shooting  at  scattered  birds  in  the  woods  is  in  my  opin- 


BOB-WHITE  123 

ion,  the  best  sport  offered  to  the  sportsmen  of  America. 
Here  the  swiftly  flying  marks  test  his  skill  to  the  ut- 
most. Here  his  dogs  appear  to  the  best  advantage. 
Often  the  shooting  is  quite  rapid,  many  double  shots 
are  offered  and  the  background  is  the  most  beautiful  in 
the  world.  The  brilliant  colors  of  the  trees,  the  fallen 
logs,  moss  and  lichen  covered,  the  carpet  of  bright 
leaves,  the  grass  and  the  vines,  are  blended  with  many 
tones  of  gray  and  the  blue  mist  of  the  Indian  summer. 
"  Whirr  !  Whirr  !  "  go  the  birds,  "  Bang  !  Bang !  "  go 
the  guns.  Here,  to  my  mind,  is  the  acme  of  sports 
afield. 

The  average  number  of  birds  killed  from  each 
covey  is  small.  Alfred  Mayer,  quoting  Mr.  H.  H.  B. 
Davis,  says  the  average  is  a  little  over  three  birds 
brought  to  bag  from  each  covey  flushed.  Mr.  Starr, 
after  taking  the  opinion  of  nearly  three  hundred 
sportsmen  who  replied  to  his  inquiry,  places  the  aver- 
age at  a  smaller  number.  An  average  shot  in  a  good 
average  day  (finding  nine  coveys),  he  says,  will  bag 
twenty  birds,  killing  53  per  cent,  of  his  shots.  The 
reader  who  will  keep  a  record  of  the  number  of  coveys 
which  he  shoots  at  in  a  season  and  the  number  of 
birds  brought  to  bag  will  find  these  figures  not  far 
wrong. 

On  stormy  days  and  on  days  when  the  snow  covers 
the  fields  so  as  to  render  the  partridges  conspicuous 
they  will  always  be  found  in  the  woods.  The  sports- 
man who  is  familiar  with  his  ground  and  knows  the 
fields  where  the  partridges  usually  are,  will  seek  them 
in  the  adjoining  cover  and  not  very  far  from  the 
fence.     I  have  often  pjat  up  the  covey  from  an  angle 


124    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

in  a  rail  fence,  especially  when  it  was  overgrown  with 
briers. 

There  are  a  number  of  varieties  (the  sub-species  of 
the  ornithologists)  given  in  the  books,  and  many  at- 
tempts are  made  to  extend  the  list.  We  now  have  no 
less  than  three  species :  the  Bob-white,  the  Grayson's 
Bob-white,  and  the  masked  Bob-white.  Bob-white 
has  two  sub-species,  the  Florida  Bob-white  and  the 
Texas  Bob-white.  There  are  nine  additional  Bob- 
whites  named  and  reported  in  the  Auk^  for  April, 
1898,  and  no  doubt,  as  the  politicians  say,  there  are 
several  counties  yet  to  hear  from.  The  sportsmen 
have  little  interest  in  what  I  have  been  pleased  to  call 
fractional  species  of  birds,  and  I  think  they  agree  with 
what  I  said  in  "  The  True  Game  Birds  " :  "  Until  the 
variety-makers  find  a  bird  which  does  not  whistle 
'  Bob-white,*  which  has  not  the  same  pattern  or  mark- 
ings, which  does  in  fact  differ  in  some  material  habit 
of  nesting,  rearing  its  young,  feeding,  fl^ang,  lying 
well  to  the  dog,  or  equally  well  on  the  plate,  the 
sportsman  may  well  consider  the  species  and  sub- 
species of  Bob-white  as  one  and  the  same." 

White  partridges,  albinos,  have  been  shot  in  many 
places,  and  mounted  specimens  may  be  seen  in  the 
museums.  They  are  uncommon.  I  have  never  seen 
one  alive. 


XVII 
THE   CALIFORNIA   PARTRIDGES 

THESE  are  two  remarkably  beautiful  birds,  gener- 
ally known  as  the  California  partridges.  Both 
of  these  birds  are  of  a  slate-blue  color,  handsomely 
marked.  Both  are  found  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  The 
mountain  partridge  is  the  larger  bird,  and  is  somewhat 
larger  than  Bob-white.  The  California  partridge,  more 
often  called  the  valley-quail  or  partridge,  is  smaller 
than  the  Bob-white.  These  birds  have  handsome 
black  plumes  on  their  heads,  and  are  often  designated 
as  plumed  partridges.  There  are  two  sub-species  of 
the  mountain  partridge  and  one  of  the  valley  bird,  but 
these  are  of  the  same  general  color  and  markings,  and 
have  the  same  habits,  and  the  differences  are  so  slight 
that  they  do  not  appear  when  the  birds  are  pictured 
in  black  and  white. 

The  inhabitants  of  California,  outside  of  technical 
ornithologists,  only  know  two  birds — the  mountain  and 
the  valley  partridge.  These  birds  trust  to  their  legs 
more  than  their  wings,  and  are  remarkably  expert 
runners.  On  that  account  they  are  not  very  desirable 
game  birds.  The  flesh  of  both  is  excellent,  they  fly 
swiftly  with  the  whirring  noise  common  to  all  gallina- 
ceous birds,  are  excellent  marks,  and  the  California 
sportsmen  are  much  given  to  their  pursuit.     Dogs  are 

125 


126    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

used,  and  sometimes  the  birds  lie  fairly  well  to  them, 
but  suth  conduct  is  exceptional. 

Many  of  the  birds  were  formerly  taken  in  traps,  and 
some  years  ago,  when  they  were  extremely  abundant, 
they  were  shot  by  market  gunners  on  the  ground  and 
sold  in  large  numbers  in  the  San  Francisco  markets. 
The  Indians  use  the  plumes  plucked  from  the  head  to 
decorate  their  baskets. 

The  smaller  birds  are  always  the  most  abundant. 
The  flocks  are  often  large.  The  larger  birds  are  never 
seen  in  large  flocks,  and  are  found,  as  their  name  would 
indicate,  in  the  hills  and  mountains. 

The  crest  or  plume  of  the  mountain  partridge  con- 
sists of  two  straight  black  feathers  much  longer  than 
the  bill  and  head.  The  crest  of  the  valley-bird  is  also 
black,  but  short  and  narrow  at  the  base,  widening  out 
and  curving  forward  at  the  tip. 

THE   MOUNTAIN   PARTRIDGE 

The  mountain  partridge  and  the  sub-species  known 
as  the  plumed  partridge  and  the  San  Pedro  partridge, 
are,  to  sportsmen,  the  same.  The  range  of  these  birds 
is  from  Southern  California  north  to  Washington ; 
the  mountain  partridge  being  assigned  by  the  ornithol- 
ogists to  the  region  north  of  San  Francisco  Bay, 
the  plumed  and  San  Pedro  partridges  to  regions 
south  of  the  bay.  The  mountain  partridge  has  been 
introduced  on  Vancouver  Island.  I  first  observed 
these  birds  many  years  ago  when  they  were  quite 
tame.  They  were  in  small  flocks  and  took  to  their 
legs,  or  flew  away  on  whirring  wings. 


THE   CALIFORNIA   PARTRIDGES       127 

I  scattered  a  flock  one  day,  when  a  cock-bird  lit 
upon  a  rock  quite  near,  and  standing  where  the  sun- 
light fell  upon  his  shining  feathers,  I  was  able  to  ob- 
serve him  closely  for  some  time.  He  had  the  same 
trim  outline  and  jaunty  pose  as  our  own  Bob-white, 
but  his  gay  plumage  and  long,  black  plume  caused  me 
to  regard  him  as  more  beautiful.  I  had  no  desire  to 
shoot  him  and  presently  he  flew  away.  Large  game 
of  all  sorts  was  abundant.  I  had  been  shooting  for 
some  weeks  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  on  the 
plains.  Even  the  large  blue-  or  dusky-grouse  was  not 
inviting  as  a  mark. 

The  birds  are  much  wilder  now  than  formerly  and 
far  less  abundant.  There  are  few  places  where  a  large 
bag  could  be  secured,  but  their  pursuit  leads  the 
sportsman  into  wild  and  picturesque  localities,  into 
forests  of  gigantic  trees,  on  mountain  sides,  beside  the 
streams  of  pure  water,  and  beautiful  cascades.  While 
rambling  on  a  pony  in  the  woods  one  is  inclined  to 
forgive  the  ungamelike  habit  of  the  birds,  which,  as 
Bendire  has  said,  is  very  trying  to  the  human  and 
perfectly  exasperating  and  bewildering  to  the  dog. 

THE  VALLEY   PARTRIDGE 

Upon  a  journey  to  far-famed  Yosemite  I  first  saw 
the  smaller  California  partridges,  known  throughout 
the  State  as  the  valley  partridges. 

They  were  extremely  abundant  along  the  road  and 
in  large  flocks  ran  before  the  horses  upon  a  near  ap- 
proach, and  sometimes  took  wing  and  whirred  away 
into  the  chapparal     The  flight  of  these  birds  is  swift 


128    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

when  once  they  are  on  the  wing  and  when  I  first 
observed  them  they  were  so  tame  as  easily  to  be  ap- 
proached within  short  range,  but  the  difficulty  was  to 
make  them  take  wing,  for  no  one  cares  to  pot  a  covey 
on  the  ground.  Their  speed  afoot  was  most  remark- 
able. They  were  often  in  sight  in  the  open  brush  or 
on  the  roads  racing  on  ahead.  I  am  quite  sure  we 
saw  as  many  as  fifty  flocks  in  a  day  without  leaving 
the  wagon,  and  it  may  be  many  more.  When  on  the 
wing  they  flew  but  a  short  distance,  and  as  I  have  said 
in  writing  of  these  birds,  their  feet  began  to  go  before 
they  fairly  touched  the  ground,  and  as  they  sailed 
along  the  surface  it  was  difficult  to  tell  just  when  the 
flying  ceased  and  the  running  began.  Their  speed 
afoot  seemed  quite  equal  to  their  speed  in  air. 

Sportsmen  who  have  had  much  experience  with 
these  birds  informed  me  that  by  persistently  chasing 
them  about  until  they  were  well  scattered  they  some- 
times could  be  made  to  lie  to  the  dog,  but  as  a  game 
bird  they  are  in  no  way  to  be  compared  to  the  par- 
tridges of  the  Eastern  States. 

The  California  valley  partridge  was  formerly  dis- 
tributed throughout  the  coast  and  interior  valleys  and 
on  the  foot-hills  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains. 
They  have  been  introduced  into  Oregon,  Washington, 
and  British  Columbia. 

In  the  southern  parts  of  California  the  birds  are 
often  found  on  grounds  overgrown  with  cactus,  which 
presents  another  serious  difficulty  for  the  dogs.  A 
friend  who  has  shot  much  on  such  ground  informs  me 
that  on  one  plantation  the  owner  had  paths  cut  through 
a  large  field  of  cactus,  which  was  a  harbor  of  refuge 


THE   CALIFORNIA  PARTRIDGES       129 

for  the  birds,  and  having  driven  a  large  number  of 
flocks  to  this  place  they  went  in  with  the  dogs,  work- 
ing along  the  paths,  and  often  made  large  bags,  on  one 
occasion  no  fewer  than  ten  dozen  birds.  I  have  heard 
of  much  larger  bags,  numbering  hundreds  of  birds, 
being  made  in  the  earlier  days  when  the  game  was 
extremely  abundant,  but  no  doubt  much  of  the  shoot- 
ing was  at  birds  on  the  ground,  when  a  dozen  or  more 
might  be  killed  at  a  single  shot. 

Mr.  T.  S.  Van  Dyke,  writing  recently  for  the  West- 
ern Fte/d,  the  Pacific  Coast  magazine,  says  he  has  writ- 
ten so  often  of  this  bird  that  he  feels  positively  ashamed 
every  time  he  looks  at  one.  He  said  that  when  he 
first  came  to  California,  in  1875,  quail  in  flocks  now 
quite  incredible  soared  out  of  almost  every  cactus 
patch,  shook  almost  every  hillside  with  the  thunder  of 
a  thousand  wings,  trotted  in  strings  along  the  roads, 
wheeled  in  platoons  over  the  grassy  slopes  and  burst 
from  around  almost  every  spring  in  a  thousand  curling 
lines.  The  same  writer  says  that  the  partridges  have 
already  deserted  many  of  the  valleys  and  are  now 
more  often  found  in  the  hills,  ready  always  to  run 
and  fly  from  one  hillside  to  another,  and  **  their  leg 
power,  always  respectable  enough  to  relieve  you  from 
any  question  of  propriety  about  shooting  at  one  run- 
ning, they  have  cultivated  to  such  a  fine  point  that 
sometimes  they  never  rise  at  all,  and  you  may  chase 
and  chase  and  chase  them  and  get  never  a  rise." 
Writing  at  another  time  Mr.  Van  Dyke  advises  the 
shooter  not  to  attempt  to  bag  anything  at  first,  but  to 
spend  all  the  time  in  breaking  and  scattering  the 
coveys,  racing  and  chajing  after  them  and  firing  broad- 


130    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

sides  over  their  heads  and  in  front  of  them,  until  they 
are  in  "  a  state  of  such  alarm  that  they  will  trust  to 
hiding."  He  then  advises  that  the  dog  (which  I  pre- 
sume has  been  used  in  coursing  the  birds)  be  tied  to  a 
shady  bush  and  that  the  coat  be  laid  aside,  that  the 
sportsman  may  travel  fast  after  the  scattered  birds. 

The  dogs  which  have  had  experience  with  these 
birds  are  of  course  better  than  dogs  which  have  been 
trained  on  the  Eastern  partridge,  Bob-white.  There 
are  now  many  fine  dogs  owned  in  California,  and  these, 
no  doubt,  have  learned  to  point  the  running  birds  at 
long  range,  and  do  good  work  with  them  whenever 
they  consent  to  lie  to  them.  Fast,  wide-ranging  dogs, 
such  as  are  good  on  snipe  on  the  vast  Western  marshes, 
dogs  with  excellent  noses,  that  can  point  the  game 
when  it  is  a  long  way  off  and  keep  after  it,  always  care- 
ful not  to  flush  the  birds,  are  no  doubt  the  dogs  the 
sportsmen  of  California  must  rely  on„ 

The  birds  to-day  are  described  as  much  more  wild 
than  those  of  former  years,  and  do  not  show  progress 
toward  that  happy  day  when  their  education  will  be 
complete,  and  they  will  cease  to  trust  to  their  legs  and 
lie  well  to  the  dogs.  I  fear  the  opinion  of  the  famous 
ornithologist,  the  late  Dr.  Coues,  which  I  have  given 
in  the  chapter  on  Bob-whites,  may  not  prove  to  be 
correct. 

The  valley  partridge  nests  upon  the  ground.  There 
are  usually  twelve  or  fifteen  eggs.  The  food  consists 
of  seeds,  insects,  and  leaves ;  the  birds  are  very  fond  of 
grapes. 

Although  known  everywhere  as  the  valley-partridge, 
these  birds  are  often  found  at  an  elevation  of  several 


THE  CALIFORNIA   PARTRIDGES       131 

thousand   feet.     They   are    more   abundant   near  sea 
levels,  however,  than  higher. 

Although  the  coveys  seldom  contain  more  than  twelve 
or  fifteen  birds,  large  flocks  are  often  seen  in  the  fall 
and  winter,  which  would  indicate  that  these  partridges 
pack  like  the  grouse  of  the  open  country. 


XVIII 

THE   SOUTHWESTERN   PARTRIDGES 

THE  three  remaining  partridges,  known  as  the 
Gambel's  partridge,  the  scaled-partridge,  and 
the  Massena  partridge,  may  be  termed  the  Southwest- 
ern partridges,  since  they  are  found  in  a  limited  area 
of  which  New  Mexico  or  Western  Texas  may  be  said 
to  be  the  centre. 

The  scaled-partridge,  with  its  sub-species,  the  chest- 
nut-bellied scaled-partridge,  inhabits  the  table-lands  of 
Mexico,  and  is  found  from  the  valley  of  Mexico  north 
to  Central  and  Western  Texas,  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico, 
and  Southern  Arizona.  Gambel's  partridge,  which 
enjoys  the  proud  distinction  of  having  no  sub-species, 
is  distributed  throughout  Western  Texas,  New  Mex- 
ico, Arizona,  Southern  Utah,  Southern  Nevada,  South- 
ern California,  in  the  Colorado  valley,  and  southward 
into  Northwestern  Mexico.  The  Massena  partridge 
is  found  from  the  City  of  Mexico  north  to  West- 
ern Texas,  New  Mexico,  and  Arizona.  Gambel's  par- 
tridge and  the  scaled-partridge  have  much  the  same 
habits  as  the  valley-partridge  of  California,  and  run 
equally  as  well ;  much  that  has  been  said  about  that 
bird  applies  to  these. 

There  is  much  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  per- 
formance of  the  Massena  before  dogs.  It  is  the  least 
abundant  of  the  Southwestern  partridges. 

132 


THE  SOUTHWESTERN  PARTRIDGES    133 

gambel's  partridge 

Gambel's  partridge  is  the  same  size  and  has  much 
the  same  appearance  as  the  valley-bird  of  California. 
It  has  a  similar  plume  of  black  feathers  on  the  head, 
but  the  golden-brown  area  on  the  belly  of  the  Cali- 
fornia bird  is  replaced  by  black  in  Gambel's  partridge. 
The  Gambel's  partridge  is  the  handsomer  bird. 

Dr.  Coues  referred  to  the  valleys  of  the  Gila  and 
Colorado  rivers  as  centres  of  abundance,  and  says, 
"  About  Fort  Yuma  there  were  more  quails  to  the 
square  mile  than  I  ever  saw  elsewhere,  and  indeed  I 
could  scarcely  see  how  many  more  could  well  have 
been  accommodated  with  food  and  hiding  places." 

The  young  of  this  partridge  are  hatched  in  May, 
and  like  those  of  other  partridges  they  are  extremely 
precocious.  The  cock-bird  utters  a  loud  whistle  dur- 
ing the  mating  season  entirely  different,  however,  from 
the  notes  of  Bob-white. 

The  coveys  usually  contain  a  dozen  or  more  birds. 
Coues  says  he  never  saw  a  covey  containing  more  than 
twenty  birds,  but  larger  coveys  of  fifty  or  more  young 
birds  are  reported,  which  may  be  accounted  for  either 
by  the  fact  that  the  birds  are  polygamous  or  possibly 
several  coveys  have  associated.  These  birds  pack,  like 
the  California  partridge,  into  very  large  flocks  late  in 
the  vear. 

Gambel's  partridge  flies  with  the  usual  loud  whirring 
noise,  and  when  it  takes  wing  within  range  presents 
a  similar  mark  to  that  of  Bob-white;  a  12-gauge  is 
the  proper  gun ;  No.  8  the  proper  shot.  Elliot  says 
this  bird  possesses  tha  same  disagreeable  traits  as  the 


134    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

California  partridge,  when  he  is  regarded  as  a  game 
bird. 

A  few  years  ago  it  was  customary  to  trap  these 
birds,  and  thousands  of  dozens  were  sent  to  the  San 
Francisco  markets.  At  one  station  the  express  agent 
shipped  no  fewer  than  three  thousand  dozens  in  a 
season  (1889-90).  The  price  was  as  low  as  60  cents  a 
dozen.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  birds  rapidly  de- 
creased in  numbers  and  were  threatened  with  exter- 
mination. Arizona  now  has  good  game  laws,  and 
these  are  executed.  Trapping  is  prohibited  at  all 
times,  as  it  should  be,  and  it  is  a  misdemeanor  to  ship 
these  birds  from  the  Territory. 

The  Indians  snare  many  of  these  partridges,  and  use 
the  plumes  as  ornaments,  but  they  do  not  kill  the 
birds,  but  release  most  of  them,  having  deprived  them 
of  the  plumes. 

Dr.  Coues  tells  of  killing  with  mustard-seed  shot  a 
wolf  which  he  found  hunting  a  covey  of  these  birds. 
I  once  made  a  similar  shot  at  a  fox  which  was  pointed 
by  my  dog  at  the  same  time  with  a  covey  of  par- 
tridges (the  Bob-whites). 

THE  SCALED-PARTRIDGE 

I  once  had  a  covey  of  these  beautiful  birds,  often 
called  the  blue-quails  or  partridges,  in  captivity,  and 
had  an  opportunity  of  observing  their  speed,  as  they 
ran  about  the  sides  of  the  room,  close  to  the  wall.  I 
was  prepared  to  bet  on  my  birds  in  a  race  against  all 
comers.  I  doubt  if  any  of  the  Californians  or  Mr. 
Gambel's  birds  could  beat  them.     Their  leg  power  was 


THE  SOUTHWESTERN  PARTRIDGES   135 

tremendous.  The  scaled-partridge  is  of  a  slate-blue 
color,  but  it  has  peculiar  markings,  which  resemble 
imbricated  scales,  and  which,  of  course,  suggested  the 
name.  It  is  a  handsome  bird,  and  has  a  crest  which  it 
can  elevate.  The  crest-feathers  are  tipped  with  white, 
and  the  bird  is  sometimes  called  white-crested  quail. 

The  scaled-partridge  is  most  abundant  in  the  valley 
01  the  Rio  Grande.  It  flies  like  the  other  partridges, 
and  presents  similar  shots  when  one  can  get  within 
range  of  it.  The  ground  where  it  lives  is  covered  for 
the  most  part  with  many  varieties  of  cactus,  and  every 
living  thing  in  the  vegetation  line  seems  to  have  a 
thousand  spines  attached  to  it,  which  would  render 
the  dog  useless  if  the  birds  were  willing,  which  they 
are  not,  to  allow  him  to  approach. 

They  are  often  seen  in  the  roads,  and  by  driving  or 
riding  along  with  a  horse  that  will  stand  fire  some 
shots  may  be  obtained;  but  the  sportsman  who  goes  in 
to  retrieve  his  birds  may  spend  the  rest  of  the  day 
picking  spines  out  of  his  legs,  so  that  the  sport  is  for 
several  reasons  not  very  attractive.  The  precise  range 
and  description  of  the  bird  are  fully  given  in  the  notes. 

THE   MASSENA   PARTRIDGE 

The  Massena  partridge  is  one  of  the  few  game  birds 
that  I  have  never  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting,  but  I 
have  always  taken  an  especial  interest  in  it,  not  only 
on  account  of  its  peculiar  bizarre  appearance,  but  for 
the  reason  that  my  information  led  me  to  believe  that 
this  partridge  was  more  like  Bob-white  than  any  of 
the  other  American  partridges — in  other  words,  that 


136    GALLINACEOUS  BIRDS— PARTRIDGES 

it  stood  for  all  that  was  good  in  a  game  bird.  The 
mountain  and  valley  partridges  of  California,  the 
Gambel's  and  the  scaled-partridge  of  the  Southwest 
are,  as  we  have  seen,  great  runners  and  most  exaspera- 
ting to  well-trained  dogs.  Unless  the  Massena  proves 
to  be  of  some  account  we  have  only  one  real  good 
partridge  in  America. 

Our  early  information  as  to  the  Massena  came  from 
officers  of  the  army  who  were  stationed  in  the  South- 
west. Colonel  McCall  first  reported  it  in  185 1  as  fair- 
ly abundant  from  the  San  Pedro  to  the  Rio  Pecos,  and 
says  it  was  always  quite  confiding,  and  he  was  inclined 
to  think  that  with  little  difficulty  it  might  be  domesti- 
cated. 

Kennedy  says  he  has  often  known  Mexican  soldiers 
to  kill  them  with  their  lances.  Elliot  says  it  is  often 
called  a  fool  quail,  on  account  of  its  confiding  dispo- 
sition. 

All  the  writers  I  am  familiar  with,  excepting  a  re- 
cent correspondent  of  the  Sportsman's  Review,  describe 
the  bird  as  very  tame  and  confiding  and  not  inclined 
to  run  like  the  other  Western  birds,  but  their  opin- 
ions are  at  variance  with  this  recent  correspondent.  I 
do  not  know  his  name  and  the  editor  of  the  Review 
writes  that  he  cannot  now  give  it  to  me. 

The  Massena  is  about  the  same  in  size  as  the  other 
partridges,  but  it  is  easily  distinguished  by  the  white 
spots  which  cause  it  to  resemble  a  small  guinea-hen. 

It  is  nowhere  found  in  any  numbers,  and  a  natural- 
ist of  my  acquaintance,  who  visited  its  habitat  in  the 
hopes  of  securing  specimens,  returned  without  a  bird. 


BOOK  II 
WILD-FOWL,    OR    SWIMMERS 


XIX 

THE   WILD-FOWL,   OR   SWIMMERS 

THE  wild-fowl  of  the  sportsmen  are  the  swimmers 
(anatidce)  of  the  ornithologists.  There  are  two 
hundred  species  of  these  birds  in  the  world  and  about 
sixty  of  them  in  North  America.  The  swimmers  are 
second  only  in  importance  to  the  gallinaceous  birds.  It 
is  possible  that  a  majority  of  sportsmen  would  reverse 
the  order  and  place  the  swimmers  first.  Elliot  is  of 
the  opinion  that  the  duck-shooters  are  in  the  majority. 
The  order  of  swimmers  contains  a  greater  number  of 
large,  fine  game  birds  than  the  order  gallinae,  and  many 
of  these  are  noted  for  their  handsome  plumage;  one 
of  them,  the  wood-duck,  is  the  handsomest  water-fowl 
in  the  world.  The  pursuit  of  these  birds  takes  the 
sportsman  to  the  bays,  lagoons,  and  marshes  about  the 
coast,  and  to  the  lakes,  ponds,  and  rivers  of  the  interior. 
The  pleasures  derived  from  sailing  and  boating  are 
added  to  the  shooting,  and  the  vast  marshes  over- 
grown with  tall  reeds  and  rushes  and  many  wild 
grasses  and  aquatic  plants  are  charmingly  pictu- 
resque. Much  skill  is  required  in  approaching  and 
shooting  the  game. 

There  are  five  families  of  swimmers — the  swans,  the 
geese,  the  sea-ducks,  the  river-ducks,  and  the  mergan- 
sers. To  these  Elliot  adds  two  sub-families,  one  to 
include  the  wood-duck  and  the  other  the  spine-tailed 
ducks;  but  from  the  sportsman's   point  of  view  the 

139 


I40  WILD-FOWL,  OR   SWIMMERS    . 

classification  I  have  given,  which  is  that  of  the 
American  Ornithological  Union,  is  sufficient.  The 
wood-duck  is  a  shoal-water  duck,  and  is  often  found 
feeding  with  other  dabblers,  such  as  mallards  and 
spoonbills.  The  sportsman  does  not  care  to  follow 
ornithological  refinements  too  far.  The  sea-ducks,  or 
divers,  escape  more  often  when  wounded,  by  diving, 
but  the  shoal-water  dabblers  are  extremely  expert  at 
hiding  in  the  reeds. 

The  wild-fowl  are  migrants.  They  go  north  to  build 
their  nests  and  rear  their  young.  Many  of  them  go 
within  the  arctic  circle.  In  the  West  many  ducks  and 
some  geese  nest  within  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
United  States.  But  in  a  few  years  at  most  not  one 
will  remain  to  nest,  and  it  will  not  be  long  before  the 
Western  lakes,  which  are  now  crowded  every  spring 
and  fall  with  fowls,  will  be  as  desolate  as  the  New 
England  ponds. 

With  their  young,  the  wild-fowl  return  to  the  United 
States  early  in  the  autumn,  and  as  the  waters  freeze  in 
the  Northern  States  they  proceed  southward.  With 
the  first  signs  of  spring,  often  as  early  as  February, 
they  move  north  again,  and  so  soon  as  the  ice  disap- 
pears they  may  be  looked  for  on  the  bays  and  marshes. 
The  hardier  varieties,  such  as  the  canvas-backs,  red 
heads,  and  the  scaups,  or  black-heads,  are  the  last  to 
go  south  in  the  autumn.  Some  of  them  winter  in  the 
vicinity  of  New  York,  many  more  at  Chesapeake  and 
Currituck  Sound. 

The  swans  are  large  birds,  and  now  in  many  places 
extremely  rare.  They  are  probably  more  abundant 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  than  elsewhere. 


WILD-FOWL,  OR  SWIMMERS  141 

The  geese  and  brant  also  come  each  year  in  greatly 
diminished  numbers.  The  brant  are  often  called 
brant-  or  brent-geese,  since  they  resemble  the  com- 
mon wild-goose,  being  smaller.  The  sea-ducks  and 
the  river-ducks  are  not  easily  approached,  but  most 
of  them  come  to  decoys,  and  their  numbers  are  an- 
nually reduced  at  an  alarming  rate.  The  sea-ducks 
have  larger  feet,  and  the  legs  are  further  back  than  those 
of  the  river-ducks.  They  are  therefore  better  swim- 
mers and  divers,  but  their  progression  on  land  is  more 
difficult.  The  terms  sea-ducks  and  river-ducks  used  by 
the  ornithologists  are  somewhat  misleading,  since  the 
sea-ducks,  such  as  canvas-backs,  red-heads,  and  scaups, 
and  most  of  the  others,  are  found  often  on  the  rivers 
and  lakes  far  from  the  sea,  and  thousands  annually 
travel  the  great  valleys  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi 
rivers  upon  their  spring  and  fall  migration.  The 
terms  deep-water  ducks,  or  divers,  and  shoal-water 
ducks  or  dabblers,  are  more  accurate,  since  the  can- 
vas-backs and  other  sea-ducks  prefer  the  deep-water, 
and  dive  long  distances  under  it  in  their  search  for 
food,  while  the  shoal-water  ducks  feed  by  dabbling  or 
tipping  like  the  common  barn-yard  ducks. 

The  number  of  wild-fowl  which  came  formerly  to  the 
bays  and  lagoons  along  the  Eastern  coasts,  was  almost 
beyond  belief.  Flocks  were  often  in  sight  following 
each  other  in  quick  succession  for  days  at  a  time. 
There  were  acres  of  ducks  on  the  water.  In  the  far 
West  I  have  seen  such  sights,  and  can  readily  believe 
the  accounts  of  the  former  abundance  of  these  birds 
about  the  coast. 

Persistent  shooting,  especially  for   the  markets,  has 


142  WILD-FOWL,  OR  SWIMMERS 

much  reduced  the  ranks  of  those  which  travel  over  the 
Eastern  course,  but  the  birds  still  move  from  Dakota 
to  the  Gulf  in  immense  numbers.  There  is  a  record 
of  three  guns  killing  one  thousand  three  hundred  and 
seventy-two  ducks  in  forty-eight  hours  at  Lake  Bisti- 
neau,  Louisania  (March  9,  1902),  and  only  the  birds 
actually  bagged  were  counted. 

I  know  of  a  bag  of  over  one  hundred  ducks  made  one 
morning  by  a  gun  in  Ohio,  in  the  fall  of  the  preceding 
year.  These  records  indicate  that  the  ducks  still  come 
in  goodly  numbers. 

Such  killings  as  those  referred  to  by  men  who  shoot 
for  sport,  added  to  the  tremendous  execution  of  the 
market  gunners,  will,  if  continued,  soon  make  the  duck 
a  rare  bird  on  our  Western  waters.  I  recently  saw  a 
gun  at  one  of  the  Ohio  clubs,  which,  in  the  hands  of  a 
market  gunner  of  Sandusky,  killed  one  hundred  and 
eighteen  ducks  at  one  shot.  Not  satisfied  with  shoot- 
ing from  the  shore,  the  market  gunners  and  sportsmen 
stationed  themselves  in  floating  batteries  on  the  feed- 
ing grounds,  thus  preventing  the  ducks  from  feeding. 
A  few  years  ago,  before  there  were  game  laws  or  pre- 
serves, the  booming  of  the  guns  in  the  marshes 
sounded  like  the  skirmish  fire  of  an  army.  The  shoot- 
ing begins  in  the  Northern  States  with  the  arrival 
of  the  first  ducks  and  is  kept  up  until  the  freezing  of 
the  waters  ends  the  slaughter.  As  the  ducks  pro- 
ceed southward,  new  guns  are  ready  for  them,  and  in 
Southern  waters,  their  winter  quarters,  they  are  perse- 
cuted until  their  departure  in  the  spring.  Not  satis- 
fied with  the  results  obtained  with  the  cannon  used 
by  market  gunners,  the  Mexicans  have  a  method  of 


WILD-FOWL,  OR   SWIMMERS  143 

slaughtering  the  birds  even  more  destructive.  The 
ducks  are  baited  with  barley  and  corn  on  the  lakes 
and  ponds,  and  carefully  guarded  and  fed  by  men  on 
horseback,  who  often  ride  among  them  slowly  and  ac- 
custom them  to  their  appearance  until  the  time  for  the 
"  armada  "  arrives,  when  the  ducks  are  driven  slowly 
to  the  place  of  slaughter. 

Dr.  W.  H.  Howe,  of  Mexico  City,  says:*  "An  ar- 
mada is  built  in  a  half  circle,  just  above  the  water- 
line,  where  are  placed  from  two  to  three  hundred 
barrels ;  one  half  set  to  rake  the  water,  the  other  half 
to  catch  them  just  as  they  rise.  The  destruction  is 
tremendous.  I  was  at  one  armada  some  years  ago, 
on  the  Hacienda  Grande  at  the  north  end  of  Lake 
Texcoco.  After  the  gathering  was  completed,  I  asked 
the  overseer  how  many  ducks  were  secured  and  he 
told  me  he  did  not  know,  as  they  count  sixteen  and 
then  make  a  tally  mark  for  a  dollar ;  but  it  amounted 
to  $256,  at  sixteen  to  the  dollar,  which  made  it  count 
up  four  thousand  and  ninety-six  ducks  at  this  one  kill- 
ing. During  the  following  spring,  perhaps  in  April, 
Signora  Cervantes  de  Rivas,  of  one  of  the  oldest 
families  of  aristocratic  Mexicans,  owner  of  the  Ha- 
cienda Grande,  told  me  that  the  net  profits  on  ducks 
that  winter  was  a  little  over  $13,000  on  her  hacienda. 
This  would  represent  two  hundred  and  eight  thousand 
ducks  for  this  one  hacienda,  and  there  are  hundreds  of 
other  haciendas  doing  the  same  business  with  weekly 
or  bi-weekly  shoots.  The  number  of  ducks  slaugh- 
tered is  almost  incalculable."  The  feathers,  he  was  in- 
formed, are  sent  to  Germany.  It  is  not  to  be  won- 
*  In  ^ield  and  Stream, 


144  WILD-FOWL,  OR  SWIMMERS 

dered  at  that  the  ducks  which  run  the  gauntlet  of  the 
guns  twice  each  year  as  they  cross  the  United  States, 
and  accept  the  invitation  to  winter  at  the  haciendas 
are  diminishing. 

It  is  the  fashion  to  shoot  wild-fowl  in  the  spring. 
One  or  two  States  have  already,  to  their  credit,  pro- 
hibited shooting  at  this  season,  and  the  sportsmen  are 
more  and  more  convinced  that  spring  shooting  should 
be  prohibited  everywhere.  The  laws  which  have  been 
most  beneficial  to  the  ducks  are  those  which  prohib- 
ited shooting  for  the  market,  the  sale  of  game,  the 
use  of  the  big  guns  and  the  shooting  on  the  feeding 
grounds  and  night  shooting. 

We  proceed  to  the  marshes  to  pursue  the  swans, 
the  geese,  the  brant,  and  the  ducks. 


XX 

THE   WILD   SWANS 

THERE  are  two  swans  indigenous  to  North  Amer- 
ica. Both  are  white  birds,  but  they  are  easily 
distinguished  by  their  size.  The  trumpeter  swan  is 
the  larger  and  weighs  from  twenty  to  thirty  pounds. 
The  smaller  bird,  known  as  the  whistling  swan, 
weighs  from  twelve  to  twenty  pounds. 

These  birds  are  extremely  wild  and  shy,  and  but 
few  sportsmen  have  shot  them. 

The  smaller  bird  is  found  throughout  America,  and 
is  still  fairly  abundant  in  the  winter  on  the  Currituck 
Sound,  where  Elliot  says  they  do  great  damage  to  the 
feeding  grounds,  destroying  very  much  more  grass 
than  they  consume,  and  for  this  reason  they  are  not 
altogether  regarded  with  favor  by  sportsmen,  as  they 
soon  render  useless  large  tracts  of  grass-covered  bot- 
tom to  which  ducks  and  geese  would  resort  for  a  long 
time,  but  which  they  are  forced  to  desert  on  account 
of  the  wasteful  destruction. 

The  swans  fly  in  long  lines  like  the  geese,  and  are 
very  beautiful  in  the  air,  as  well  as  on  the  water 
when  the  sun  shines  on  their  white  feathers.  The 
smaller  birds  are  said  to  be  gaining  in  numbers  in  the 
Southern  sounds  and  are  common  in  Texas  in  the 
winter.     They  are  myre  often  shot  as  they  fly  over. 

145 


146  WILD-FOWL 

Formerly  it  was  the  practice  to  sail  down  on  the  birds, 
going  with  the  wind.  Since  the  heavy  birds  are  com- 
pelled to  rise  against  the  wind  and  do  so  with  diffi- 
culty they  were  often  taken  in  this  way,  but  shooting 
from  sailing  boats  and  all  motor  boats  is  now  prohib- 
ited by  law,  and  this  protection,  no  doubt,  is  one  of 
the  causes  of  the  increase  of  the  swans  on  the  club 
preserves. 

Swans  when  flying  about  are  often  so  high  as  to  be 
out  of  range  and  always  on  the  lookout  for  danger. 
It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  get  near  them  with  a 
boat  propelled  by  oars. 

The  young  swans  are  fairly  good  to  eat,  but  the  old 
birds  are  tough  and  not  desirable  as  food.  The  young 
are  gray  and  easily  distinguished  from  the  old  birds. 

I  saw  many  swans  in  the  Devil's  Lake  region.  North 
Dakota,  some  years  ago,  but  they  are  not  nearly  so 
abundant  there  or  on  the  Pacific  Coast  as  formerly. 

The  trumpeter  swan  is  named  from  its  loud  voice, 
which  is  said  to  resemble  the  notes  of  a  French  horn. 
This  bird  is  found  in  the  Mississippi  valley  and  on 
the  Pacific  Coast,  but  never  appears  on  the  Atlantic 
Coast. 

Although  the  swans  do  not  seem  to  be  going  fast, 
on  account  of  their  labored  flight,  they  in  fact  go  one 
hundred  miles  an  hour ;  and  anyone  who  will  time  the 
birds  as  they  fly  out  of  sight  will  be  convinced  that 
they  are  travelling  rapidly.  It  is  necessary  to  shoot 
well  ahead  of  them,  and  large  charges  of  powder  and 
heavy  shot  are  required  to  bring  them  down. 

The  swans  are  so  well  able  to  get  out  of  danger  and 
so  careful  not  to  come  near  it  that  a  wild-swan  chase 


THE  WILD   SWANS  147 

is  far  more  difficult  than  that  of  the  far-famed  wild 
goose.  The  latter  come  readily  to  decoys,  but  swans 
do  not  do  so  often  enough  to  make  it  worth  while  to 
go  out  for  them. 

Swans  are  often  taken  by  stalking  them  when  they 
are  seen  sitting  on  the  shore.  Upon  a  recent  visit  to 
Currituck  I  learned  that  the  swans  still  winter  there 
in  large  numbers,  and  found  in  the  game-register  of 
the  Princess  Anne  Club  records  of  bags  containing 
7,  8,  and  even  12  swans  killed  by  club-men  in  the  past 
few  years. 

Some  swans  were  seen  in  a  pond  near  one  of  our 
camps  near  the  Cheyenne  River,  and  a  friend  of  mine 
spent  several  days  trying  to  stalk  them,  without  suc- 
cess, however.  Meantime  I  had  fair  sport  with  the 
geese,  canvas- backs,  red-heads,  scaups,  mallards, 
spoonbills,  teal,  gadwalls,  and  shot  many  other  ducks. 

I  have  the  same  objection  to  swans  that  I  have  to 
wild  turkeys.  It  is  entirely  too  long  between  shots, 
and  in  fact  there  is  usually  no  shooting  at  all. 

Elliot,  in  his  popular  Ornithology,  describes  the  pe- 
culiar musical  notes  of  a  wounded  swan  which  he  shot 
at  Currituck  Sound.  He  had  never  heard  them  before, 
and  as  the  wounded  bird  floated  down  to  the  water, 
singing  as  it  went,  he  was  filled  with  astonishment  and 
could  only  exclaim  :  **  I  have  heard  the  song  of  the 
dying  swan." 

I  had  always  supposed,  as  Elliot  did,  that  the  death 
song  existed  alone  in  poetical  fiction. 


XXI 

WILD  GEESE 

THE  common  wild-geese  known  as  the  Canada 
geese  are  familiar  to  everyone  who  observes 
wild  birds  at  all.  They  fly  high  in  the  air  in  long 
lines  converging  to  a  point  in  front,  where  an  old  ex- 
perienced gander  takes  the  lead  and  sounds  the  honk, 
which  can  be  heard  for  a  long  distance,  and  which  is 
taken  up  by  those  behind.  The  geese  come  to  the 
United  States  from  the  north,  usually  late  in  October 
and  during  November,  moving  south  as  the  waters 
freeze  over.  They  are  common  on  both  coasts  and  in 
the  interior.  1  have  seen  them  in  great  numbers  in 
the  Missouri  valley,  and  fairly  abundant  in  the  spring 
and  autumn  on  the  Long  Island  bays.  They  are  eas- 
ily domesticated,  and  in  Dakota  I  often  saw  birds 
which  had  been  wounded  and  which  were  kept  as  de- 
coys. Geese  are  shot  over  wooden  decoys  and  metal 
profiles,  but  the  live  birds  are  used  wherever  the  geese 
come  in  any  numbers,  and,  of  course,  are  the  best 
ones.  It  is  impossible  to  distinguish  the  domesticated 
birds  from  the  wild  ones.  I  was  once  shooting  over 
live  birds  in  the  West  when  I  saw  a  Sioux  Indian 
approach  my  stand,  and  when  he  discovered  the  geese 
he  left  his  pony  far  out  on  the  plain  and  carefully  pro- 
ceeded to  stalk  them.  I  was  perfectly  concealed  and 
enjoyed  the  performance,  but  stopped  him  just  as  he 


"%^^ 
^-■■r 


^p^yi^W^^Z^ 


^iiui    j}i;iiiNl)   iim 


WILD   GEESE  149 

was  about  to  shoot,  since  I  was  afraid  he  would  bag 
me  with  the  geese. 

When  the  geese  come  in  to  the  decoys  it  is  possible 
to  get  several  with  one  shot  on  the  water,  shooting  at 
the  heads  which  are  close  together,  or  nearly  in  line, 
and  another  bird  with  the  second  barrel  as  they  take 
wing.  I  was  once  shooting  ducks  from  a  shore  blind 
on  one  of  the  Long  Island  bays,  and  a  market  gunner 
was  out  on  the  open  water  in  a  battery  with  a  flock  of 
live  wild  geese  as  his  decoys.  A  flock  of  seven  geese 
appeared  far  out  over  the  beach,  honking  as  they 
came,  and  the  decoys  soon  answered  them  from  the 
water,  when  they  turned  and  sailed  gently  down  to 
join  their  friends.  The  market  gunner  waited  for 
some  time  after  the  birds  were  on  the  water,  and  then 
fired  two  shots  from  one  gun  and  two  more  from  an- 
other before  they  were  out  of  range  and  only  one  bird 
flew  away.  This  went  off  a  mile  or  more  and  then 
circled  about  and  returned  again  to  the  decoys  and 
was  shot  as  he  approached. 

The  geese  have  apparently  a  slow  flight,  but  as  a 
matter  of  fact  they  move  with  great  rapidity,  and  it  is 
therefore  necessary  to  shoot  far  ahead  of  them  when 
passing.  They  are  fond  of  sandy  bars  and  beaches, 
and  when  they  are  discovered  using  such  places  a 
blind  is  made  by  sinking  a  box  or  barrel  in  the  sand, 
and  when  the  birds  return  they  are  attracted  by  de- 
coys and  often  come  within  easy  range. 

They  have  a  habit  of  resorting  to  the  fields  to  feed 
in  the  morning  and  evening,  returning  in  the  middle 
of  the  day  and  at  night  to  the  lake  or  river,  and  they 
are  often   shot   from  »  blind  placed  on  their  line  of 


ISO  WILD-FOWL 

flight.  Great  bags  were  made  a  few  years  ago,  but 
the  heavy  shooting  has  sadly  diminished  their  num- 
bers in  Nebraska  and  throughout  the  Mississippi 
valley. 

I  once  saw  a  flock  alight  on  the  parade  ground  at 
Fort  Buford,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone,  and  so 
long  as  the  Sioux  were  a  menace  to  the  shooters  the 
geese,  and  in  fact  the  buffalo,  elk,  deer,  and  grouse 
were  extremely  abundant  in  that  region.  The  num- 
ber of  the  ducks  and  geese  was  beyond  belief. 

Geese  and  brant  are  still  very  abundant  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  The  San  Francisco  Evening  Post  con- 
tained a  short  article  last  September,  stating  that  two 
shooters,  W.  E.  Newbert  and  W.  H.  Young,  of  Sacra- 
mento, had  recently  killed  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  geese  or  brant  in  Glenn  County,  California. 

The  editor  of  Recreation^  seeking  material  for  the 
«*  Game  hog  "  department  of  that  excellent  little  maga- 
zine, wrote  and  asked  if  the  fact  was  correctly  stated. 
Mr.  Young  replied,  stating  that  they  did  kill  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-three  geese  or  brant  in  one  day's 
shoot,  that  is  in  two  hours  one  evening  and  in  five 
hours  the  following  morning,  but  he  says  the  geese  in 
that  neighborhood  are  very  destructive  to  the  newly 
sprouted  grain  and  the  farmers  are  compelled  to  hire 
men  to  keep  them  off  their  grain  night  and  day.  One 
hardware  firm  shipped  to  the  Glenn  ranch  thousands 
of  rifle  cartridges  each  week  to  be  used  in  driving 
geese  oft  the  fields. 

A  heavy  fog  causes  the  geese  to  fly  low  and  often  to 
alight.  They  seem  to  become  confused  and  unable  to 
proceed  on  their  journey  to  the  north  or  south. 


WILD   GEESE  151 

It  is  most  important  for  the  sportsman  to  know 
what  the  birds  are  doing — what  points  they  are  flying 
over  when  they  go  out  to  the  fields  to  feed,  what 
course  they  take  in  returning  to  the  water,  what  fields 
they  are  using,  and  in  what  particular  part  of  a  field 
they  are  feeding,  and  what  sand-bar  in  the  river  or 
what  part  of  the  beach  they  frequent.  Time  spent 
in  finding  out  what  the  birds  are  doing  is  well  spent, 
since  a  blind  or  ambush  placed  where  there  are  no 
birds  is,  of  course,  useless.  When  the  shooting  is  to 
be  done  in  a  field,  it  is  well  to  seek  a  place  where  the 
birds  are  feeding  and  after  they  have  left,  dig  the  holes 
in  the  ground  and  carefully  remove  the  dirt,  scatter  it 
so  it  will  not  be  noticeable  and  arrange  the  grass  or 
stubble  about  the  aperture,  so  as  to  make  it  resemble 
that  adjoining.  Remember  that  geese  have  very  sharp 
eyes,  and  are  quick  to  discover  any  change  in  the 
appearance  of  a  field  or  sand-bar.  When  they  are 
feeding  some  are  always  on  the  lookout  and  act  as 
sentinels,  and  it  is  impossible  to  approach  them  within 
range.  An  ox  trained  to  walk  slowly  along  as  though 
feeding  has  been  used  as  a  blind  behind  which  to  ap- 
proach the  birds. 

Geese,  like  swans,  are  compelled  to  arise  against  the 
wind,  and  in  California,  Mr.  Van  Dyke  says,  a  wagon 
may  be  driven  down  wind  rapidly  so  as  to  carry  the 
shooter  within  range,  but  the  shots  must  be  fired  as 
the  vehicle  goes  tearing  along,  since  there  is  no  time 
to  stop  it  before  the  birds  are  out  of  range. 

Professional  gunners  can  imitate  the  call  of  the 
geese  and  often  turn  them  to  the  decoys  by  "  honking  " 
to  them  when  the  birds  are  passing  at  long  range  or 


152  WILD-FOWL 

high  in  the  air.  Live  decoys  will  also  call  the  passing 
flocks. 

A  local  law  in  New  York  State,  but  three  lines  long, 
which  reads :  "  Web-footed  wild-fowl  shall  not  be 
taken  in  the  county  of  Jefferson  from  February  ist  to 
August  31st,  both  inclusive  ;  or  taken  in  the  night  from 
sunset  until  sunrise,"  caused  the  Canada  goose  and 
many  ducks  to  become  quite  tame  so  that  boats  could 
approach  them  closely.  Herbert  Job  recently  found 
and  photographed  the  nest  of  the  Canada  goose  in 
North  Dakota. 

At  many  of  the  duck  clubs  there  are  excellent 
punters,  who  know  the  grounds  and  where  the 
geese  are  likely  to  be.  The  sportsman  who  handles 
his  own  boat  must  have  a  knowledge  of  what  the 
birds  are  doing  in  order  to  be  successful  at  this 
sport. 

Grinnell  thinks  the  geese  as  well  as  the  swans  are 
increasing  on  the  club  preserves  at  Currituck.  The 
laws  prohibiting  the  shooting  from  sailing  and  motor 
boats  and  the  club  rules  at  two  clubs  forbidding 
spring  shooting  have  had  no  doubt  much  to  do  with 
this. 


XXII 

OTHER   WILD   GEESE 

THE  HUTCHINS   GOOSE 

THE  Hutchins  goose  might  readily  be  mistaken  by 
a  sportsman  not  much  familiar  with  wild-geese 
for  the  Canadian  or  common  wild-goose,  with  which  it 
is  often  seen  associating.  It  is  sometimes  called  the 
lesser  Canada  goose.  It  is  shot  in  the  same  manner 
as  other  geese,  and  its  flesh  is  excellent.  It  is  found  in 
the  western  portions  of  the  United  States. 

THE  CACKLING  GOOSE 

Ornithologists  designate  this  goose  as  Branta  Cana- 
densis minima.  As  the  name  would  indicate  it  is  a 
small  Canada  goose.  It  is  a  Western  bird,  abundant 
in  California  and  at  times  seen  in  the  Mississippi 
valley.  A  picture  of  this  bird  would  be  the  same  as 
that  of  the  common  wild-goose,  the  Branta  Canadensis, 
and  indistinguishable  from  that  bird  unless  the  size 
were  given. 

The  Emperor  goose  is  very  rare,  more  often  seen  in 
Alaska,  I  believe,  than  elsewhere. 

The  Bean  goose  is  given  as  an  old-world  species, 
which  occasionally  comes  to  our  shores. 

153 


154  WILD-FOWL 

THE  BLUE-GOOSE. 

One  of  the  handsomest  of  the  geese,  the  blue-goose, 
is  but  little  known.  It  is  more  often  seen  migrating 
in  the  Mississippi  valley.  Its  head  and  neck  are  white ; 
its  breast,  back,  and  wings  are  grayish-brown,  and  the 
under  parts  are  white.  I  have  never  shot  this  goose, 
and  in  fact  have  never  seen  one  near  enough  to  recog- 
nize it.  It  was  supposed  to  be  the  young  of  the 
snow-goose,  but  the  ornithologists  now  say  that  it  is  a 
separate  species.  The  sportsman  who  may  be  fortu- 
nate enough  to  bag  one  can  readily  identify  it  from 
the  description.    It  does  not  frequent  the  Pacific  Coast. 

THE   WHITE-FRONTED    GOOSE. 

The  white-fronted  goose  is  abundant  on  the  Pacific 
Coast,  and  is  also  found  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  and 
is  said  to  be  common  in  Texas.  Elliot  says  the  white- 
fronted  geese  are  often  seen  associating  with  other 
geese,  especially  the  snow-geese.  I  have  seen  thou- 
sands of  snow-geese,  but  do  not  remember  to  have 
ever  seen  them  associating  with  other  geese.  Other 
geese  are  often  seen  on  the  same  lake  or  pond,  but 
usually,  I  believe,  by  themselves. 

The  geese  are  all  shot  in  the  same  manner,  over 
decoys  or  from  ambush,  as  they  fly  from  one  feeding 
ground  to  another,  or  from  the  lakes  to  the  fields. 
They  will,  when  not  too  much  shot,  follow  the  same 
line  of  flight,  and  the  observant  sportsman  will  have  no 
difficulty  in  getting  under  them;  but  he  must  be  per- 
fectly concealed  and  remain  motionless  until  they  are 


OTHER  WILD  GEESE  155 

within   range   and  then   shoot  quickly  and  well  for- 
ward, 

I  was  once  shooting  geese  and  ducks  in  the  West 
and  had  a  soldier  from  the  garrison  who  assisted  in 
carrying  the  game,  when  two  geese  came  flapping 
along  and  did  not  appear  to  be  going  fast.  I  saw  them 
when  they  were  some  distance  off,  and  was  ready  for 
them  when  they  came  within  range,  and  expected  fully 
to  make  a  nice  double.  Aiming  but  a  short  distance 
ahead,  I  fired  two  shots  in  quick  succession,  but  was 
not  rewarded  with  a  feather.  The  geese  kept  on  their 
course,  honking  a  farewell,  and  in  about  a  minute  had 
crossed  a  wide  lake  which  was  spread  out  behind  me. 
I  was  aware  that  I  had  shot  behind  them  both,  and  as 
they  quickly  disappeared  from  view  realized  how  fast 
they  were  going.  There  is  no  bird  whose  flight  is 
more  deceptive.  They  are  always  going  much  faster 
than  they  seem  to  be. 


XXIII 

THE   SNOW-GEESE,    BRANT,  ETC. 

THE  snow-geese  are  smaller  than  the  Canada  or 
common  wild-geese,  and  are  near  the  size  of  the 
brant,  familiar  to  those  who  shoot  on  the  bays  of  Long 
Island.  There  are  three  varieties,  all  white,  as  their 
name  would  indicate,  and  one  of  them,  Ross's  snow- 
goose,  is  one  of  the  smallest  geese  known,  adults  of 
this  species  weighing  only  two  and  one-half  to  three 
pounds. 

The  snow-goose  and  the  lesser  snow-goose  are  so 
much  alike  as  to  make  it  necessary  to  measure  them 
carefully  in  order  to  distinguish  them. 

The  lesser  snow-goose  is  the  Western  variety,  and  is 
found  from  the  Arctic  Sea  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 
The  greater  snow-goose  is  the  one  found  east  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  was  formerly  very  abundant  at 
Hudson's  Bay,  where  a  single  hand  has  killed  as  many 
as  a  thousand  in  a  season. 

The  snow-geese  were  extremely  abundant  in  Dakota 
a  few  years  ago,  and  I  have  seen  them  when  they  cov- 
ered the  ground  in  tremendous  flocks,  which  resem- 
bled at  a  distance  snow  on  the  ground.  They  are 
extremely  shy,  but  many  are  shot  from  a  blind  in  the 
stubble-fields,  or  as  they  fly  to  and  from  their  feeding- 
grounds. 

156 


THE  SNOW-GEESE,  BRANT,  ETC        157 

They  are  very  abundant  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  in 
the  Mississippi  valley  and  in  parts  of  Texas  in  the 
winter.  The  shooting  of  these  geese  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  common  wild-geese  already  discribed.  They 
do  not,  I  believe,  come  as  readily  to  decoys. 

We  occasionally  took  a  long  shot  with  a  rifle  at  a 
flock  of  these  birds  which  covered  a  large  area  of 
ground  so  closely  that  it  seemed  impossible  to  miss 
them,  but  such  shots  were  usually  not  effective.  As 
the  ball  struck  among  them,  however,  it  was  an  amaz- 
ing sight  to  see  them  arise  from  the  ground  like  great 
white  clouds. 

An  army  officer  with  whom  I  was  shooting  on  the 
ponds  about  the  Cheyenne  River  one  day  wounded  a 
snow-goose  slightly  in  the  wing,  and  after  a  long  chase 
we  captured  it  It  soon  became  quite  tame,  and  ap- 
pears in  a  number  of  photographs  of  our  camps,  stand- 
ing like  a  domestic  fowl,  quite  unconcerned  by  the 
presence  of  its  enemies. 

Some  one  named  it  Genevieve,  and  when  we  moved 
our  camp  it  usually  had  a  seat  in  the  ambulance,  often 
in  the  lap  of  an  officer,  and  became  quite  tame.  When 
we  returned  to  Fort  Totten  it  was  turned  loose  in  a 
yard  with  some  chickens  and  appeared  perfectly  at 
home,  but  when  it  recovered  of  its  wound  it  took  wing 
one  day  and  joined  one  of  the  flocks  which  were  con- 
tinually seen  in  the  sky  passing  over. 

Ross's  snow-goose  is  not  uncommon  in  California, 
but  is  never  found  on  the  Atlantic  Coast.  But  little  is 
known  of  its  habits,  since  it  is  a  rare  bird.  It  associ- 
ates with  the  lesser  snow-goose.  Hearne  is  quoted  by 
Elliot  as  saying  that«ts  flesh  is  extremely  delicate,  and 


158  WILD-FOWL 

as  a  proof  of  it  he  ate  two  one  night  for  supper,  which 
was  doing  quite  well,  even  for  an  arctic  appetite. 


THE  BRANT 

There  are  two  brant  often  called  brant-geese  which 
resemble  the  Canada  goose,  but  are  much  smaller. 

The  common  brant  of  the  Eastern  coasts  is  some- 
times met  with  in  the  interior,  but  it  prefers  the  salt 
water  and  is  common  on  the  bracki«h  bays  of  the  At- 
lantic Coast.  It  may  be  described  as  a  diminutive 
wild  goose,  being  very  similar  to  that  bird.  On  the 
Pacific  Coast  this  bird  is  replaced  by  a  bird  similar  in 
size,  known  as  the  black  brant. 

The  common  brant  were  formerly  very  abundant 
along  the  Eastern  coast.  I  have  seen  many  large  flocks 
on  the  bays  of  Long  Island,  but  the  persistent  shoot- 
ing, especially  from  batteries  and  sail-boats,  has  di- 
minished their  numbers.  Sailing  after  brant  was  an 
exciting  and  profitable  sport,  some  years  ago,  but 
many  of  the  States  have  now  forbidden  the  use  of  sail- 
boats and  all  motor-boats  in  the  pursuit  of  brant, 
geese,  and  ducks.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  New  York 
will  have  better  laws  regulating  the  shooting  of  wild- 
fowl, and  that  these  methods  of  pursuit  and  spring 
shooting  may  be  abolished  at  the  same  time. 

The  brant  come  to  the  North  Atlantic  Coast  in  Oc- 
tober, and  are  seen  in  large  flocks.  They  do  not  fly  in 
long  lines  or  in  the  V-shaped  formation,  as  the  com- 
mon wild-geese  do,  but  in  a  bunch,  or  in  masses,  with- 
out any  orderly  arrangement,  and  without  a  leader. 

They  decoy  readily,  and  respond  to  an  imitation  of 


THE  SNOW-GEESE,  BRANT,  ETC.        159 

their  note,  and  their  attention  may  be  attracted  to 
the  decoys  by  raising  and  lowering  a  foot  from  the 
battery. 

Like  the  geese  they  are  fond  of  sand,  and  may  be 
shot  as  they  travel  to  and  from  the  bars,  or  from  am- 
bush, when  the  place  they  are  using  is  discovered. 

Brant  do  not  fly  very  rapidly,  and  are  not  very  diffi- 
cult marks;  in  fact  they  are  quite  easy  when  they 
come  to  the  decoys. 

Their  flesh  is  excellent,  much  better  than  that  of  the 
geese,  and  they  are  eagerl}^  sought  for  in  the  markets. 
Their  sale  should  be  at  all  times  prohibited,  since  this 
would  end  the  shooting  of  pot-hunters  and  market 
gunners  who  annually  destroy  large  numbers  of  brant. 

The  black  brant  is,  as  the  name  would  indicate, 
darker  than  the  Eastern  variety,  but  in  other  respects 
much  like  it.  They  are  excellent  table  birds,  and 
large  numbers  are  shot  every  winter  in  California. 
They  were  extremely  abundant  on  the  bay  at  San 
Diego,  but  my  stay  in  Southern  California  was  of 
short  duration,  and  I  did  not  go  in  pursuit  of  them. 

The  black  brant  fly  usually  strung  out  in  long  lines. 
They  are  wild,  shy  birds,  and  more  easily  taken  over 
decoys  than  in  any  other  manner. 

This  bird,  like  the  cinnamon  teal,  is  seen  as  an  occa- 
sional visitor  to  the  Atlantic  coasts,  having  no  doubt 
missed  its  way  when  starting  on  the  northern  migra- 
tion.    I  have  never  seen  them  excepting  in  California. 

It  was  not  unusual,  some  years  ago,  for  California 
sportsmen  and  market-gunners  to  make  immense  bags 
of  these  birds,  but  over-shooting  here,  as  elsewhere, 
has  been  followed  by^the  usual  result. 


XXIV 

TREE-DUCKS 

A  REVIEW  of  the  game-birds  of  North  America 
would  be  incomplete  without  some  mention  of 
two  peculiar  birds  known  as  the  tree-ducks.  But  few 
sportsmen,  excepting  those  who  have  shot  in  the 
States  which  adjoin  Mexico,  are  aware  of  the  exist- 
ence of  these  birds.  They  are,  however,  shot  and  are 
good  to  eat,  and  the  sportsman  who  goes  to  the  Cali- 
fornia marshes  or  to  Southern  Texas  may  add  them  to 
his  bag. 

Both  these  birds  nest  in  trees.  They  are  reported 
as  not  very  wild  or  shy  and  as  having  been  easily  do- 
mesticated, when  they  associate  with  barn-yard  fowls. 

The  black-bellied  tree-duck  feeds  in  corn-fields  and 
is  said  to  do  much  damage  to  the  crop. 

The  fulvous  tree-duck  is  found  in  Louisiana  and 
Texas  and  breeds  in  the  California  marshes. 

These  birds  run  well  and  dive  well  and  are  difficult 
to  secure  when  wounded.  They  are  described  in  the 
appendix  sufficiently  for  the  sportsman  who  may  shoot 
one  to  identify  it. 


l6o 


XXV 

SEA-DUCK   SHOOTING 

THE  sea-ducks  and  the  geese  and  brant,  which  are 
shot  often  from  the  same  blind,  are  well  pro- 
tected by  heavy  plumage.  The  sportsman  who  has 
several  guns  may  use  the  lo-gauge  to  advantage  on 
these  birds,  but  when  the  birds  come  to  the  decoys 
they  are  within  the  range  of  a  12-gauge,  and  when 
they  do  not  come  to  the  decoys  they  are  more  often 
out  of  range  of  any  gun.  At  some  of  the  clubs  on  the 
Chesapeake  the  8-gauge  is  used  to  shoot  at  high-flying 
birds,  but  the  use  of  guns  larger  than  the  lo-gauge  is 
prohibited  new  in  many  States,  and  many  others  have 
laws  prohibiting  the  use  of  all  guns  "  excepting  those 
fired  from  the  shoulder  in  the  ordinary  manner."  The 
laws  prohibiting  the  use  of  guns  larger  than  the  10  are 
more  accurate,  since  the  strength  of  men  varies  and  an 
athletic  sportsman  might  swing  a  much  larger  gun 
than  the  8,  provided  it  be  a  single  barrel.  A  uniform 
law  prohibiting  the  use  of  all  guns  larger  than  10 
would  be  satisfactory.  I  would  be  willing  to  see  all 
guns  larger  than  12  prohibited,  since  a  strong-shooting 
12  will  kill  enough  ducks  in  a  day  to  exceed  the  bag 
limit  allowed  on  many  preserves  and  provided  by  law 
in  many  States. 

It  was  formerly  the.fashion  to  shoot  very  large  shot 

i6i 


i62  WILD-FOWL 

at  ducks  and  geese,  but  the  shot  used  to-day  is  smaller. 
Nos.  6  to  4  for  ducks  and  4  to  2  for  brant  and  geese  are 
best.  The  smaller  shot  makes  a  better  pattern  and  the 
chances  for  striking  the  game  in  a  vital  place  are  in- 
creased. From  3^  to  3^  drams  of  powder  is  used  in 
the  12  gauge,  and  as  much  more  as  the  gun  will  burn 
to  advantage  in  the  10.  This  may  be  ascertained  by 
firing  the  gun  over  snow,  when  the  unburned  powder 
can  be  seen  after  the  discharge.  I  prefer  No.  5  or  6 
shot  to  No.  d  for  sea-ducks  and  often  shoot  No.  7  at 
the  river  ducks,  and  have  done  good  work  with  8  early 
in  the  autumn  when  the  shots  were  at  close  range. 

Sea-duck  shooting  calls  for  warm  flannels,  heavy 
corduroy,  and  water-proofs,  since  the  weather  is  often 
extremely  cold  and  windy  and  the  sportsman  must  face 
the  storms  of  snow  and  sleet.  Both  clothes  and  hat 
must  resemble  the  marsh  grass  in  color.  By  no  means 
w^ear  a  black  hat  or  coat.  Suits  are  for  sale  in  the 
stores  made  entirely  of  the  marsh  grass. 

There  are  four  principal  methods  of  capturing  sea- 
fowl  :  (i)  shooting  over  decoys  from  the  shore;  (2) 
shooting  over  decoys  from  batteries  or  sink-boxes  on 
the  water;  (3)  point  shooting  or  flight  shooting  at 
passing  birds,  and  (4)  shooting  in  a  line  of  boats  on 
the  open  water.  To  these  may  be  added  the  tolling 
of  the  birds  with  small  dogs,  an  interesting  method  of 
pursuit  practised  on  the  Chesapeake  and  perhaps  else- 
where. 

Sailing  after  brant  and  ducks  is  another  method 
used  on  some  of  the  bays  of  Long  Island  and  else- 
where, but  this   has  been  found   to   drive   the   birds 

away,  ,-i.l    7i>.     ■*,.,;  unolxj;//    )'i 


SEA-DUCK   SHOOTING  163 

In  shooting  over  decoys  the  start  is  made  quite  early 
in  the  morning,  often  long  before  daylight.  The 
sportsman,  accompanied  by  a  local  gunner  or  bay-man, 
sails  away  in  the  dark  to  the  point  selected  for  his 
ambush.  Many  decoys  (each  attached  by  a  long  string 
to  a  weight,  often  a  half  brick  or  scrap  of  iron)  are 
stowed  away  in  the  boat.  These  wooden  counterfeits 
are  painted  to  represent  the  varieties  which  frequent 
the  bay — canvas-backs,  red-heads,  scaups  or  black- 
heads, ruddy-ducks,  widgeons,  buffle-heads  and  others, 
and  often  mergansers.  A  few  geese  and  brant  decoys 
are  in  the  outfit  to  be  used  to  allure  the  passing  geese 
or  brant.  When  the  objects  of  pursuit  are  geese  or 
brant  only,  a  larger  flock  of  these  decoys  is  carried, 
and  often  a  lot  of  live  birds,  both  ducks  and  geese,  are 
used  as  decoys. 

It  is  always  a  cold  and  often  a  stormy  voyage  down 
the  bay,  and  the  heaviest  coat  and  a  rain-coat  over 
all  will  be  found  necessary  to  keep  out  the  wind  and 
cold.  As  the  boat  proceeds  flocks  of  water-fowl  may 
be  heard  arising  from  the  water  or  passing  overhead  on 
rushing,  whistling  wings.  When  the  place  selected  for 
a  blind  (usually  a  point  or  bar  where  the  ducks  are 
feeding)  is  reached,  the  blind  is  hastily  constructed, 
provided  it  has  not  been  made  before,  and  the  decoys 
are  set  out  on  the  water,  within  easy  range  of  the  guns. 
The  best  blind  is  a  box  sunk  in  the  sand  or  mud, 
with  some  seaweed  or  sedge,  or  whatever  is  near,  scat- 
tered about,  and  even  over  the  sportsman  after  he  has 
extended  himself  in  the  box.  Blinds  are  often  made  of 
seaweeds,  grass,  rushes,  reeds,  and  bushes,  and  whiepi 
they  are  so  erected^  above  the  grQund,  it  is  w,pjl,to 


i64  WILD-FOWL 

make  them  some  days  before  the  shooting  begins,  in 
order  that  the  birds  may  become  accustomed  to  them. 

When  sea-duck  shooting  it  is  most  important  to 
know  what  the  birds  are  doing,  or  more  accurately 
(since  the  decision  as  to  where  the  blind  is  to  be 
placed  is  often  made  in  the  dark)  to  know  what 
the  birds  will  be  doing  when  daylight  comes.  The 
old  salts  who  have  spent  their  lives  on  the  bay 
are  not  only  good  weather  prophets,  but  good  duck 
prophets  as  well.  First  of  all  the  wind  must  be  con- 
sidered and  a  decision  reached  as  to  what  the  wind 
will  be  during  the  morning  flight.  Ducks,  it  must  be 
remembered,  do  not  frequent  a  windward  shore.  It 
having  been  determined  that  the  wind  will  be  in  a 
certain  direction,  the  various  desirable  points  for  a 
blind  are  considered,  and  the  one  most  likely  is 
selected.  The  ducks,  for  reasons  of  their  own,  will 
be  seen  "using,"  as  it  is  termed,  certain  points  or 
waters  in  preference  to  others  which  appear  equally 
as  good,  and  it  is  to  the  point  where  the  bay-man  has 
seen  the  birds  (when  the  wind  is  off  shore)  that  he 
will  turn  his  prow. 

The  city  sportsman  who  places  himself  in  the  hands 
of  a  local  bay-man  will  hardly  fail  to  have  good  shoot- 
ing. It  is  well,  however,  for  him  to  know  the  ''  whys 
and  wherefores,"  to  be  able  to  sail  his  own  boat  and  to 
estimate  for  himself  what  the  ducks  will  be  doing,  for 
the  knowledge  of  such  things  contributes  largely  to  the 
making  of  a  duck-shooter.  The  sportsman  who  knows 
where  to  place  his  decoys  will  often  enjoy  very  good 
shooting  and  return  to  the  cabin,  hotel,  or  club  to  meet 
another  who  has  not  shot  a  bird,  for  the  simple  reason 


SEA-DUCK  SHOOTING  165 

that  the  latter  did  not  know  where  to  place  his  blind. 
A  place  which  affords  excellent  shooting  to-day  may  be 
worthless  to-morrow,  the  wind  having  shifted.  Ducks, 
too,  are  easily  driven  away  from  a  given  point  by  much 
shooting,  and  the  place  where  many  ducks  are  killed 
for  several  days  in  succession  will  be  readily  surren- 
dered by  an  old  hand  to  a  novice.  It  is  more  important 
to  know  what  the  ducks  are  doing  than  it  is  to  shoot 
well,  for  without  the  ducks  one  cannot  shoot  at  all. 
A  bay-man  or  an  old  duck  shooter  will  often  take  a  run 
about  the  bay  to  see  what  places  the  birds  are  using 
and  to  *'  locate  "  them,  as  it  is  termed,  and  time  so  con- 
sumed is  well  spent.  An  amusing  reference  to  this 
practice  appears  in  a  law  prohibiting  Sunday  shooting 
in  North  Carolina,  which  provides  that  **  it  shall  be 
unlawful  to  sail,  row,  or  propel  a  boat  over  Currituck 
Sound  on  the  Lord's  day  for  the  purpose  of  locating 
wild  fowl  for  a  future  day."  This  law,  as  I  said,  writ- 
ing recently  for  The  Century,  may  be  regarded  as  the 
high-water  mark  of  game  legislation.  It  would  seem 
necessary  for  the  sportsman  sailing  the  waters  of  Cur- 
rituck on  the  Lord's  day  to  close  his  eyes. 

In  many  of  the  States  it  is  now  unlawful  to  shoot  at 
ducks  in  the  night  season  before  "•  sunrise  or  after  sun- 
down "  as  the  statutes  read.  This  is  as  it  should  be, 
and  the  shooting  of  ducks  on  Sunday  is  also  prohibited. 
In  North  Carolina,  where  by  the  way  are  to  be  found 
the  finest  grounds  on  the  Eastern  Coast  for  sea-ducks, 
it  is  unlawful  for  any  person  to  leave  any  landing  or 
anchorage  before  sunrise  in  the  morning  for  the  pur- 
pose of  hunting  wild-fowl  or  to  put  decoys  into  the 
water  before  sunrigc.     This  law  in  many  places  would 


i66  WILD-FOWL 

sadly  interfere  with  a  good  morning's  shooting,  since 
the  shooting  is  best  in  the  hour  just  after  sunrise,  and, 
when  the  blind  is  some  distance  from  the  house,  the 
time  consumed  in  going  to  it  is  the  time  when  the 
shooting  should  be  done.  The  first  few  hours  of  the 
morning  and  the  last  few  hours  of  daylight  are  the 
best  for  duck  shooting.  The  birds  are  then  flying 
about  and  feeding  and  are  allured  by  the  decoys. 
The  flight  will  continue  longer  on  wild,  windy,  stormy 
days.  On  still  warm  days  there  is  often  a  poor  flight 
in  the  morning,  which  ceases  at  an  early  hour,  and 
throughout  the  rest  of  the  day  until  just  before  sun- 
down not  a  bird  will  be  seen  in  the  air.  At  such  times 
the  sportsmen  may  be  observed  standing  up  in  their 
blinds  and  looking  at  the  rafts  of  ducks  which  float 
quietly  on  the  water  far  out  of  reach  of  the  guns. 

When  a  flock  of  ducks  observes  the  decoys  they  will 
often  turn  and  head  straight  toward  them,  but  usually 
circle  about  before  alighting.  As  the  birds  come  near 
it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  remain  absolutely 
motionless.  The  ducks  have  sharp  eyes  and  will  surely 
see  the  slightest  move  on  the  part  of  the  sportsman 
and  instantly  be  gone.  Should  the  concealment  be 
only  partial  when  the  birds  are  discovered  approach- 
ing the  blinds  do  not  try  to  better  it,  but  remain  ab- 
solutely still.  The  fact  that  the  ducks  have  headed 
toward  the  decoys  indicates  they  have  not  seen  the 
shooter,  but  if  he  lower  his  head  or  make  any  other 
move  in  the  endeavor  to  better  his  concealment  the 
birds  will  certainly  escape. 

When  the  ducks  are  well  up  to  the  decoys,  and  not 
before,  it  is  time  to  shoot.     The  first  shot  is  an  6asy 


SEA-DUCK   SHOOTING  167 

one  since  the  birds  are  flying  slowly  and  have  spread 
their  tails  as  a  brake,  and  with  lowered  feet  are  flap- 
ping to  alight.  At  the  report  of  the  gun,  however,  the 
ducks  spring  high  in  the  air  and  are  soon  under  full 
headway.  The  second  shot  is  often  missed  by  reason 
of  under  shooting.  The  gun  should  be  aimed  well 
over  the  rising  birds,  and  far  in  advance  of  them,  if 
they  are  going  off  to  right  or  left.  It  was  formerly 
the  practice  to  aim  at  the  flock  when  the  birds  were 
closely  huddled  together,  in  the  hope  of  killing  a  num- 
ber at  a  shot,  but  such  is  not  the  better  way.  The 
sportsman  should  select  a  bird  for  each  barrel  and  try 
to  kill  it  instantly — "  clean,"  the  gunners  say.  The 
dead  birds  are  easily  recovered,  the  wounded,  unfortu- 
nately, often  get  away.  In  shooting  into  the  flock 
many  birds  besides  those  killed  will  receive  a  part  of 
the  charge  and,  wounded,  get  away. 

In  North  Dakota  and  other  States  where  the  legal 
bag  limit  is  twenty-five  birds  or  less  per  diem,  two  or 
three  double  shots  at  the  hovering  flocks  will  put  an 
end  to  the  day's  sport,  so  that  it  is  no  longer  to  the 
sportsman's  interest  to  take  the  pot-shots  in  the  air  or 
on  the  water. 

A  retrieving  dog  is  always  used.  The  best  dog  for 
this  purpose  is  the  Chesapeake  Bay  dog — a  strong 
water-dog,  able  to  stand  the  roughest  weather  and  the 
icy  waters  of  the  bay,  and  to  find  the  birds  in  the  heav- 
iest sedge.  Such  dogs  are  owned  by  sportsmen  who 
shoot  on  the  Chesapeake,  and  at  the  clubs  at  Curri- 
tuck, and  they  may  be  found  here  and  there  through- 
out the  West.  The  dog  is  trained  to  remain  motion- 
less in  the  blind  nfitil  ordered  to  retrieve.     He  will 


i68  WILD-FOWL 

often  detect  the  birds  at  great  distances  and  indicate 
their  presence  by  a  glance  of  the  eye. 

Ducks  which  are  passing  the  blind  at  a  distance 
without  seeing  the  decoys  may  have  their  attention 
directed  to  them  by  tossing  a  hat  in  the  air,  or  by  rais- 
ing one  foot  high  up  from  the  blind  or  battery  and 
quickly  lowering  it.  The  motion  may  be  repeated 
two  or  three  times,  but  when  the  birds  turn  on  no  ac- 
count repeat  it.  Their  eyes  are  now  on  the  decoys 
and  they  will  surely  detect  the  hat  or  boot  if  they  are 
shown  again.  An  old  market  gunner  with  whom  I 
shot  ducks  many  seasons  on  the  Shinnecock  Bay 
taught  me  how  to  raise  a  foot  above  the  side  of  a  bat- 
tery, and  explained  that  the  passing  birds,  attracted 
by  the  motion,  believed,  no  doubt,  the  foot  was  a  duck 
rising  on  end  as  they  sometimes  do  when  on  the  water, 
and  the  deception  was  the  more  complete  since  the 
motion  appeared  in  the  centre  of  the  flock  of  decoys. 
I  often  exhibited  my  foot  to  the  passing  scaups  and 
red-heads  and  saw  them  wheel  directly  for  the  decoys. 
When  the  birds  are  discovered  passing  at  a  long  dis- 
tance the  foot  may  be  raised  quite  high  and  several 
times  in  quick  succession,  but  when  the  flock  is  pass- 
ing near  raise  the  foot  but  once  and  not  very  high 
from  the  water.  I  have  seen  the  ducks  return  after 
having  passed  the  battery  when  a  raised  foot  attracted 
their  attention. 

A  writer  for  a  sportsman's  magazine  published  in 
San  Francisco,  says  the  newly  painted  decoys  are  not 
so  good  as  the  older  and  duller  ones.  There  is  much 
truth  in  this,  no  doubt.  Certain  it  is  that  highly 
painted  and  varnished  decoys  which  shine  brightly  in 


SEA-DUCK   SHOOTING  169 

the  sun  will  not  attract  the  birds.  The  painting  should 
always  have  a  dull  finish. 

Shooting  over  decoys,  with  all  its  hardships,  is  splen- 
did sport.  When  the  ducks  come  in  quick  succession 
one  does  not  feel  the  cold.  For  my  part,  as  I  have  said, 
I  prefer  the  shooting  over  dogs,  but  I  have  had  many 
a  good  day,  both  on  salt  water  and  fresh,  shooting  sea- 
ducks  and  river-ducks  over  the  decoys. 

The  method  of  shooting  ducks  from  batteries  is  fa- 
miliar to  those  who  shot  some  years  ago  at  Currituck, 
or  later  on  the  Long  Island  bays.  At  Currituck  it  is 
now  unlawful  for  non-residents  to  use  the  battery.  Its 
use  is  barred  absolutely  in  many  other  States,  but  the 
influence  of  the  market  gunners,  it  is  said,  has  been 
sufficient  to  prevent  the  passage  of  such  legislation  in 
New  York.  I  have  had  many  good  days  in  the  bat- 
teries when  I  killed  many  ducks  and  thoroughly  en- 
joyed the  shooting,  but  I  now  believe  the  use  of  bat- 
teries should  everywhere  be  prohibited.  The  battery 
may  be  briefly  described  as  a  water-tight  box,  large 
enough  to  hold  the  shooter  lying  down,  with  a  wide 
rim  which  floats  on  the  water.  The  box  is  made  to 
sink  to  the  rim  by  placing  weights  about  its  edge. 
The  battery  with  one  hundred  or  more  decoys  is  car- 
ried on  a  sail-boat  to  the  feeding-ground  of  the  ducks, 
often  far  out  on  the  open  water,  and  when  the  sports- 
man has  taken  his  place  in  it,  the  bay-man,  who  has  put 
out  the  decoys,  sails  away  to  a  distance,  usually  to  lee- 
ward, and  picks  up  the  ducks  as  they  are  killed  and 
drift  toward  him.*     Any  large  flocks  which  may  be 

*  If  it  be  windy  and  there  is  danger  of  the  battery  sinking,  the  attendant 
will  sail  to  windward  in  order  ^o  be  able  to  return  quickly. 


170  WILD-FOWL 

on  the  bay  are  put  up  by  the  bay-man  sailing  down 
upon  them,  and  these  as  they  fly  about  are  attracted 
to  the  decoys.  The  objection  to  this  form  of  sport  is, 
of  course,  that  it  drives  the  birds  from  their  feeding 
grounds,  besides  being  very  destructive.  Immense 
numbers  of  ducks  have  been  shot  from  a  battery  in  a 
day. 

Point  shooting  is  at  passing  birds.  As  they  travel 
from  one  feeding  ground  to  another  the  ducks  are 
required  often  to  pass  near  or  over  certain  points 
where  the  shooting  is  at  times  excellent.  The  shoot- 
ing is  more  difficult  than  shooting  over  decoys,  since 
the  shots  are  usually  at  long  range  and  fired  at  birds 
under  full  headway.  To  estimate  correctly  the  rate 
of  speed  and  the  distance  of  a  passing  duck,  requires 
much  practice,  and  a  good  shot  is  he  who  can  often 
send  his  load  of  shot  far  enough  in  advance  to  meet 
the  swiftly  moving  mark.  Shoot  yards,  not  feet,  ahead 
of  the  fastest  birds  when  passing  at  long  range.  Each 
shot  is  different  and  must  have  its  own  estimate. 
Practice  alone  will  make  a  good  pass-shooter.  Do 
not  be  afraid  of  shooting  too  far  in  advance  of  the 
birds.  The  shooting  in  the  line  of  boats  and  the  toll- 
ing with  small  dogs,  will  be  described  in  connection 
with  the  birds  so  taken. 

In  California  and  the  Gulf  States  the  sea-duck  shooter 
has  finer  weather,  and  in  many  places,  particularly  in 
Louisiana,  Texas,  and  Southern  California  the  shoot- 
ing is  still  very  good  indeed. 


XXVI 

THE   CANVAS-BACK 

FAMOUS  is  the  canvas-back.  Many  sportsmen  re- 
gard him  as  first  of  all  the  water-fowl.  Epicures 
never  tire  of  praising  him.  One  of  the  largest  of  the 
ddcks,  he  is  also  very  handsome.  The  head  is  a  dark 
chestnut  red.  The  back  is  white,  marked  with  nar- 
row waved  black  lines,  which  give  it  the  light-gray 
appearance  which  suggested  the  name.  The  bill  and 
breast  are  black.  Size,  beauty,  and  table  qualities  are 
here  combined,  and  the  canvas-back  is  rightly  named 
"  the  king  of  ducks." 

Although  classified  as  a  sea-duck,  this  bird  is  found 
throughout  North  America,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific.  I  found  the  canvas-backs  abundant  in  North 
Dakota,  where  they  arrive  early  in  the  autumn  and 
remain  until  the  ponds  and  lakes  are  frozen  over. 
Herbert  Job  recently  found  many  nests  of  these  birds 
on  the  same  ground  in  the  spring.  Bendire  found  it 
breeding  in  Oregon.  It  no  doubt  breeds  at  all  suitable 
places  from  Dakota  to  the  Pacific  Coast.  Most  of 
these  ducks,  however,  go  farther  north  upon  their 
spring  migration- 

The  canvas-back  is  distinctly  an  American  bird.  No 
other  ducks  resemble  it  excepting  the  red-head  duck 
and  its  analogue  the*  pochard  of  Europe.     Red-heads 

171 


172  WILD-FOWL 

have  often  been  sold  in  the  markets  as  canvas-backs, 
but  the  birds  are  easily  distinguished.  The  bill  of  the 
red-head  is  blue,  not  black.  Its  head  is  round,  not 
angular  like  that  of  the  canvas-back.  The  back  of 
the  red-head  is  much  darker  than  that  of  the  canvas- 
back. 

A  few  years  ago  these  birds  came  in  immense  num- 
bers to  the  waters  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay  and  the  other 
bays  and  sounds  of  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and  the  shooting 
grounds  brought  high  rentals.  Excessive  shooting, 
however,  by  sportsmen  and  the  market  gunners,  has 
so  reduced  the  number  of  the  birds  as  to  make  the 
shooting-grounds  of  the  Chesapeake  far  less  valuable, 
and  at  many  points  there  is  to-day  but  little  sport  or 
none  at  all.  The  ducks  were  nowhere  more  persecuted 
than  on  the  waters  of  this  bay,  all  the  points  being  held 
by  clubs.  They  were  assailed  from  every  side  by  land, 
and  the  market  gunners  with  huge  guns  fired  broad- 
sides into  them  as  they  slept  upon  the  water.  This 
shooting  was  kept  up  from  the  moment  of  the  birds' 
arrival  in  the  fall  until  the  ice  put  an  end  to  the  slaugh- 
ter ;  and  in  the  spring  the  shooting  ended  only  when 
the  last  bird  unshot  had  flown  away.  The  high  prices 
(often  several  dollars)  which  the  birds  commanded  in 
the  markets  stimulated  the  market  gunners  to  great 
activity,  and  the  wonder  is  that  a  bird  remains.  So 
abundant  were  the  canvas-backs  in  former  years  that 
slaves  were  fed  with  them,  and  contracts  are  said  to  be 
in  existence  which  contain  provisions  against  such 
feeding  to  slaves  whose  services  were  rented. 

These  birds  came  until  quite  recently  in  great  num- 
bers to  the  bays  and  ponds  about  the  great  lakes. 


THE  CANVAS-BACK  173 

There  are  records  at  the  clubs  of  famous  bags,  but 
here,  as  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  they  no  longer  come  as 
formerly.  In  looking  over  the  game  register  at  one 
of  the  Lake  Erie  clubs,  I  observed  that  in  former  years 
over  one  thousand  canvas-backs  were  often  killed,  but 
more  recently  the  total  for  the  year  has  been  less  than 
one  hundred  birds.  Farther  west,  however,  at  some 
of  the  preserves  in  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota,  and  on 
many  lakes  and  ponds,  these  splendid  birds  still  come 
in  better  numbers,  and  they  were  reported  not  long 
ago  in  certain  places  on  the  Pacific  Coast  as  abundant 
as  they  ever  w^re  on  the  Chesapeake  Bay. 

Many  States  have  now  good  laws  for  their  protec- 
tion, which  limit  the  bag,  prohibit  market  shooting,  the 
sale  of  game,  the  use  of  big  guns  and  batteries  and  all 
blinds  on  the  feeding  grounds ;  and  if  the  shooting  in 
the  spring  is  prohibited,  the  sportsmen  in  the  West,  at 
least,  will  no  doubt  continue  to  enjoy  good  shooting. 

The  food  of  the  canvas-backs  consists  largely  of  a 
water  plant  popularly  termed  wild  celery  {yalesnerid) 
This  food  imparts  a  peculiarly  delicious  flavor  to  their 
flesh.  On  the  Pacific  Coast  they  feed  upon  a  bulbous 
plant  which  the  Indians  call  wapato  isapellaria  vari- 
abilis) which  renders  their  flesh  equally  delicious.  It 
is  only  when  they  can  obtain  the  wild  celery  or  the 
wapato  that  the  birds  are  worthy  of  high  praise. 
The  red-head  and  widgeon,  when  feeding  on  the  same 
food  have  a  similar  flavor ;  but  all  of  these  birds,  when 
their  food  consists  of  small  marine  animals,  have  the 
same  sedgy  or  fishy  taste  and  are  no  more  desirable  as 
food  than  many  other  sea-fowl.  As  a  general  proposi- 
tion, I  may  here  observe  that  the  so  called  river-ducks 


174  WILD-FOWL 

are  better  food  than  the  sea-fowl  or  divers,  as  usually 
they  are  free  from  all  fishy  taste,  since  their  food  is 
largely  corn,  wild  rice,  and  acorns. 

I  have  eaten  the  canvas-backs  from  the  Chesapeake, 
on  the  ground  where  they  are  supposed  to  be  cooked 
and  served  the  best,  and  by  no  means  dispute  their 
table  qualities,  but  the  wood-duck  fed  on  acorns  and 
the  mallards  fed  on  corn  and  wild  rice  are  their  equal, 
and  I  am  inclined  to  believe,  with  many  sportsmen  of 
my  acquaintance  and  the  great  Audubon  besides,  that 
the  little  blue-wing  teal  is  their  superior.  I  prefer, 
however,  the  shooting  of  all  game  to  the  eating,  and 
am  prepared  to  leave  such  questions  to  the  epicures. 

The  latter  have  always  insisted  that  the  canvas- 
backs  from  the  Chesapeake  are  the  best,  and  there  is 
an  amusing  story  of  an  Ohio  senator,  who  argued  with 
some  Eastern  friends  that  the  Western  canvas-backs 
were  just  as  good.  Secretly  he  procured  some  birds 
from  the  Ohio  marshes  and  served  them  at  a  dinner  to 
which  his  friends  were  invited.  The  birds,  well  cooked 
and  served,  were  excellent,  and  during  the  repast  the 
Eastern  epicures  often  asked  their  host  to  admit  their 
superiority.  This  he  did,  much  to  his  amusement,  of 
course,  and  later  to  their  discomfiture. 

At  the  Lake  Erie  clubs  and  on  many  other  Western 
shooting  grounds  the  canvas-backs  and  the  mallards 
and  other  dabblers  may  be  shot  the  same  day.  Not 
on  the  same  ground,  however.  The  canvas-backs  will 
be  found  diving  in  the  deeper  water,  the  mallards  dab- 
bling in  the  shallow  ponds  near  by. 

I  have  regarded  the  canvas-backs  as  the  wilder 
birds»  possibly  because  I  have  shot  them  only  when 


THE  CANVAS-BACK  175 

they  were  the  least  abundant,  but  Mr.  Cumming,  a 
San  Francisco  sportsman,  writing  recently  for  a  maga- 
zine, says  the  mallards  are  far  more  wary  in  the  tule 
marshes  of  his  State.  *' Should  the  sportsman,"  he 
observes,  "  have  found  the  mallards  and  returned 
with  fifty  birds,  he  is  entitled  to  a  hat-raise  and  bow 
from  his  fellow  sportsmen,  but  if  he  has  that  number 
of  the  dull-witted  cans.,  no  such  obeisance  should  be 
accorded  him.  The  canvas-backs  must  be  classed  as 
the  most  foolish  duck  that  frequent  these  waters. 
When  they  are  found  in  a  feeding-pond  where  their 
favorite  food  is  plentiful,  they  are  easy  game,  provided 
the  man  behind  the  gun  keeps  out  of  sight.  After  the 
birds  have  been  'jumped'out  of  the  pond,  he  has 
only  to  place  out  two  or  three  dozen  decoys  and  the 
birds  will  soon  work  their  way  back  in  pairs  or  in 
small  flocks,  sometimes  circling  around  a  little  to  see 
if  the  coast  is  clear,  but  generally  dropping  quietly 
among  the  decoys. 

"When  they  ascertain  to  their  satisfaction  that  ap- 
pearances seem  favorable  for  an  uninterrupted  feed 
their  heads  drop  into  an  easy  position,  indicating 
security,  and  they  soon  disappear  beneath  the  surface. 
As  they  arrive  from  time  to  time  in  flocks  and  a  num- 
ber are  under  water,  the  hunter  should  open  fire  at 
those  upon  the  surface,  and  as  the  others  come  up  treat 
them  to  another  barrel." 

This  may  do  for  one  who  cares  to  shoot  tame  birds 
on  the  water,  but  when  the  legal  limit  to  the  bag  (fifty 
birds  per  diem)  is  easily  reached,  most  sportsmen  pre- 
fer the  shooting  on  the  wing. 

The  same  writer  S9^s  ;  **  Many  consider  the  mallard 


176  WILD-FOWL 

superior  to  all  others  as  a  choice  table  morsel,  but  hunt- 
ers and  duck  critics  differ.  My  experience  suggests 
that  the  sprig  is  equally  delicious  if  not  a  better  bird." 
It  will  be  noticed  that  the  canvas-back  is  not  mentioned. 

Canvas-backs  are  usually  shot  over  decoys.  A  num- 
ber of  the  counterfeits  are  placed  out  within  easy 
range  of  the  blind,  and  to  these  the  birds  come  readily 
when  they  have  not  been  much  shot  at ;  but  they  soon 
learn  not  only  to  avoid  a  blind  but  to  fly  high  in  cross- 
ing over  points,  and  on  the  Eastern  waters  they  are  as 
wild  and  shy  as  any  duck  that  flies  and  far  different 
from  the  "  dull-witted  cans."  of  California. 

Before  putting  out  the  decoys  the  birds  are  driven 
away  without  shooting  at  them,  and  from  time  to  time 
they  return  singly  or  in  small  numbers,  or  perhaps  in 
flocks.  As  they  sail  slowly  up  to  the  decoys,  or  hover 
over  them  preparatory  to  alighting,  they  are  easy 
marks,  but  as  they  spring  from  the  shot  of  the  first 
barrel  they  are  far  more  difficult,  and  he  who  makes  a 
"  double  "  has  reason  to  be  proud  of  his  achievement. 

The  sportsman  makesan  early  start  for  canvas-backs 
and  should  have  his  decoys  in  the  water  by  daylight. 
The  shooting  is  best  in  the  early  hours,  and  again  late 
in  the  afternoon,  when  the  second  flight  begins.  Dur- 
ing the  middle  of  the  day  he  may  well  desert  his  blind 
and  try  the  neighboring  marshes  with  his  setters  for 
the  snipe.  In  Oregon,  a  Mongolian  pheasant  is  often 
added  to  the  bag. 

Canvas-backs  are  also  shot  from  points  as  they  fly 
over  from  one  feeding  ground  to  another.  This  sport 
is  more  difficult ;  the  shots  are  usually  at  long  range 
and  at  swiftly  flying  marks,  since  the  birds  are  under 


THE  CANVAS-BACK  177 

full  headway  as  they  pass,  and  go  from  sixty  to  ninety 
miles  an  hour,  and  (before  the  wind)  it  may  be  faster. 
In  Oregon  the  canvas-backs  are  highly  prized.  In  a 
recent  article,  "  Duck-shooting  along  the  Columbia," 
Mr.  J.  B.  Thompson  says :  "  It  was  the  way  of  the  duck 
hunters  to  ignore  all  other  ducks,  mallards,  teal,  wid- 
geon, sprigs,  and  to  confine  their  shooting  entirely  to 
canvas-backs.  In  a  good  year,  and  most  years  were 
good,  it  was  not  difficult  to  kill  all  one  could  carry. 
Of  late  years — since  about  1894  to  be  more  exact— can- 
vas-backs are  not  as  abundant  nor  as  good  eating  ;  the 
cause  being  generally  attributed,  no  doubt  correctly, 
to  the  almost  total  disappearance  of  their  favorite  food 
the  wapato.  In  an  unfortunate  moment  some  impulse, 
not  wholly  for  good,  prompted  a  certain  United  States 
fish  commissioner  to  place  in  the  haunts  of  the  canvas- 
backs  the  lowly  and  inglorious  carp.  Why  this  was 
done  no  one  seems  to  have  ascertained.  It  could  not 
have  been  because  good  fish  were  lacking,  for  the 
Columbia  and  its  tributaries  were  full  of  the  lordly 
Chinook  salmon  and  other  varieties  of  the  same  fish, 
and  the  smaller  streams  were  alive  with  trout.  At  any 
rate  the  carp  were  brought  in,  and,  like  most  things 
undesirable,  they  stayed  and  throve  prodigiously,  and 
from  that  time  every  green  and  growing  thing  on  the 
feeding  grounds  of  the  ducks  began  to  disappear,  until 
finally,  about  six  years  ago,  few  wapato  and  very  little 
else  which  might  be  classed  as  food  could  be  found 
there.  The  high  water  of  1894  may  have  aided  the 
carp  by  depositing  silt  and  sand  over  these  lakes  and 
ponds.  The  food  being  gone  the  canvas  went  also ; 
and  the  few  that  are  sl^ot  now  are  poor  and  flavorless,** 


178  WILD-FOWL 

The  same  writer  says  the  canvas-backs  were  formerly 
as  abundant  on  the  lakes  and  ponds  near  the  Columbia 
River  as  they  ever  were  on  the  waters  of  Chesapeake 
Bay  and  their  flesh  was  as  fine. 

Present  indications,  he  adds,  promise  better  things, 
however;  for  it  is  believed  that  the  wapato  was  not 
totally  exterminated  and  that  with  care  and  the  de- 
struction of  the  carp  the  canvas-back  may  again  flourish 
as  in  years  past. 

The  same  results  followed  the  introduction  of  the 
carp  into  Ohio  waters.  A  short  time  ago  the  super- 
intendent of  the  Winous  Point  Club  informed  me  that 
the  carp  had  become  a  positive  nuisance.  They  de- 
stroyed the  wild  rice  and  other  vegetation  in  the 
marshes  to  such  an  extent  that  the  ducks  had  little 
left  to  feed  on  where  food  was  formerly  abundant. 
Some  fishermen,  he  said,  recently  caught  eight  tons 
of  carp  in  one  haul  of  a  net,  and  a  catch  of  six  tons  was 
not  unusual.  The  fish  were  offered  for  sale  in  Port 
Clinton,  but  the  market  being  overstocked,  they  were 
taken  to  Sandusky  on  a  tug,  and  there  being  no  sale 
for  them  there  they  were  finally  disposed  of  to  a  fertil- 
izing establishment  at  $2.00  per  ton.  This  matter  of 
the  carp  and  their  destruction  of  the  marshes  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  to  the  many  duck  clubs  and  owners 
of  preserves,  and  in  fact  to  all  who  shoot  ducks.  The 
carp  are  said  to  destroy  the  plants  by  rooting,  causing 
them  to  fall  and  die.  It  is  most  unfortunate  that  the 
carp,  like  the  sparrows,  seem  to  have  come  to  stay. 
The  Department  of  Agriculture  now  has  the  authority 
and  will  no  doubt  prevent  the  further  introduction  of 
such  pests. 


THE  CANVAS-BACK  179 

The  canvas-backs  feed  by  diving  for  the  wild  celery 
or  the  wapato,  and  amusing  accounts  are  given  of  the 
widgeon, which  floats  near  by  and  when  the  canvas-back 
comes  to  the  surface  with  a  choice  morsel  quickly 
seizes  and  devours  it. 

The  canvas-backs  still  come  in  goodly  numbers  to 
some  of  the  preserves  owned  by  the  clubs  at  Curri- 
tuck, N.  C,  and  the  shooting  there  is  often  very  fine. 
The  late  President  Harrison  was  the  guest  of  the 
Ragged  Island  Club  during  his  term  of  office,  and 
enjoyed  some  good  shooting. 

When  the  sea-ducks  are  much  shot  at,  especially  on 
their  feeding  grounds,  they  will  often  desert  the  waters 
of  the  bay  and  spend  the  day  far  out  upon  the  ocean. 
They  return  at  night  to  feed.  In  North  Carolina  and 
Maryland  and  in  Ohio,  and  perhaps  elsewhere,  certain 
days  are  set  aside  each  week  when  all  shooting  is  pro- 
hibited. At  the  clubs  certain  rest  days  are  provided 
for  by  club  rules,  and  some  clubs  in  Oregon,  Mr. 
Thompson  says,  allow  but  one  day's  shooting  each 
week. 

Canvas-backs,  like  antelope,  have  a  great  deal  of 
curiosity,  and  they  are  brought  within  range  of  the 
gun  by  the  use  of  a  small  dog,  which  is  trained  to  run 
about  on  the  beach  and  seek  chips  or  small  sticks  tossed 
for  him  from  the  blind.  The  feeding  ducks  are  soon 
attracted  by  the  performance  of  the  dog,  and  after  ob- 
serving him  a  short  time,  swim  toward  the  shore, 
their  interest  seeming  to  increase  as  they  approach, 
until  finally  they  are  within  range.  This  method  of 
capture  is  called  tolling.  Heavy  guns  and  heavy  loads 
are  used  to  shoot  these  fowls.     Where /est  days  are 


i8o  WILD-FOWL 

provided  for  the  ducks  they  are  always  less  wild  and 
less  suspicious,  and  the  shooting  is  accordingly  much 
better. 

Canvas-backs  are  still  shot  from  batteries  or  sink- 
boxes,  but  since  my  shooting  from  these  contrivances 
has  been  at  scaups — the  black-heads — and  the  shooting 
is  the  same,  I  defer  the  description  of  this  method  of 
pursuit,  saying  only  here,  as  I  shall  say  again  later, 
that  this  form  of  sport  should  everywhere  be  prohib- 
ited, as  it  is  now  in  many  States. 


XXVII 

THE   RED-HEAD 

THE  gray  back  of  the  red- head  duck  is  similar  but 
darker  than  that  of  the  canvas-back.  The  color 
of  the  head  is  the  same  or  nearly  so,  the  dark  chestnut- 
red  being  brighter  in  this  species  than  in  the  canvas- 
back.  The  shape  of  the  two  heads  and  the  color  of 
the  bills,  as  I  have  observed,  render  the  identification 
easy,  and  when  their  food  is  the  same  as  the  latter 
birds,  they  are  excellent  on  the  table.  Their  flesh 
often  has  a  fishy  or  sedgy  taste,  and  then  may  be  said 
to  resemble  that  of  the  scaups  or  black-heads  more 
than  the  canvas-backs. 

I  have  shot  red-heads  on  the  waters  of  Long  Island 
and  as  far  west  as  Dakota,  and  do  not  regard  these 
birds  as  equal  to  the  mallards,  teal,  or  wood  duck. 
In  the  West,  like  that  of  many  of  the  shore-birds,  their 
flesh  is  usually  better  than  that  of  the  birds  shot  on 
Long  Island  Sound  or  the  bays  along  the  Atlantic 
Coast,  for  the  reason  that  it  has  not  the  sedgy  or  fishy 
taste  so  often  observed  in  salt-water  birds.  As  a  rule, 
I  think  the  Western  sportsmen  are  inclined  to  stand 
up  for  their  ducks,  as  it  were,  and  insist  that  they  are 
superior  to  the  sea-ducks.  M}^  early  education  was 
acquired,  however,  on  the  waters  of  the  Shinnecock 
Bay  and  on  Long  Island  Sound,  and  I  was  prepared 
to  defend  even  the  merganser  or  shell-drake  as  food 

i8i 


i82  WILD-FOWL 

birds ;  but  I  am  satisfied,  as  a  general  proposition,  that 
the  ducks  that  feed  on  corn  and  wheat,  and  the  wild- 
rice  or  wild-oats  and  acorns,  are  superior  to  those 
which  find  their  food  in  the  salt  marshes  and  bays 
near  the  ocean.  The  same  rule  obtains  with  reference 
to  the  black-breasted  plover  and  many  of  the  shore- 
birds,  as  we  shall  observe  later. 

The  red-heads  arrive  from  the  South  in  March  usu- 
ally,  sometimes  earlier  if  the  weather  is  suitable,  and 
when  not  much  shot  at  remain  until  late  in  the 
spring.  Many  of  them  would  no  doubt  breed  in  New 
York  State  if  given  a  chance,  and  they  no  doubt  will 
be  before  long,  since  the  sentiment  against  shooting 
wild-fowl  in  the  spring  is  spreading  rapidly.  Mr.  Job 
found  them  recently  breeding  with  the  canvas-backs 
and  ruddy-ducks  in  good  numbers  about  the  lakes  of 
North  Dakota. 

In  the  autumn  the  red-heads  return  so  soon  as  the 
weather  turns  cold,  usually  in  November,  but  earlier  if 
the  Northern  waters  should  freeze  over.  Large  num- 
bers still  come  to  the  bays  and  along  the  Atlantic 
Coast,  and  they  are  a  very  common  duck  during  their 
migration  across  the  Middle  and  Western  States  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Large  numbers  are  killed  annually 
at  the  many  duck  clubs  about  the  Great  Lakes,  and  I  be- 
lieve there  are  more  red-heads  killed  during  the  flight 
at  the  St.  Clair  flats  in  Michigan  than  any  other 
ducks  The  flight  was  hardly  on  when  I  left  the  flats, 
but  the  local  gunners  were  all  engaged  in  painting 
red-head  decoys,  and  a  few  days  later  these  ducks  were 
so  abundant  in  the  Detroit  markets  that  many  could 
not  be  used,  and,  the  weather  turning  warm,  they  were 


THE   RED-HEAD 


183 


thrown  away.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  they  come  in 
greatly  diminished  numbers  each  year,  and  unless  the 
spring  shooting,  the  shooting  of  the  large  guns,  and 
the  use  of  batteries  is  stopped  as  well  as  forbidden,  it 
will  not  be  long  before  the  red-head  is  a  rare  bird,  or 
will  only  be  seen  in  the  museum  of  natural  history. 
The  Canadian  Club  own  a  vast  preserve  on  the  east  side 
of  the  flats,  and  since  the  shooting  there  begins  later, 
and  is  conducted  under  proper  regulations,  the  birds, 
fortunately,  have  there  a  harbor  of  refuge  which  will 
do  much  toward  their  preservation.  The  clubs  near 
Toledo  and  Sandusky  also  are  a  benefit  to  the  ducks, 
but  at  some  of  these  the  shooting  has  been  excessive. 
The  following,  which  I  copied  from  the  club  register 
at  Winous  Point,  near  Port  Clinton,  Ohio,  shows  that 
the  red-heads  are  by  no  means  as  abundant  as  in  for- 
mer years : 


Red-Heads 

1881 1415 

1882 1987 

1883 1699 

1884 927 

1885 1058 

1886 366 

1887 21 

1888 56 

1889 16 

1890. 63 


Red-Heads 

1891 31 

1892 510 

1893 216 

1894.      o 40 

1895 5 

1896 207 

1897 6S 

1898 4 

1899 19 

1900    , I 


Excessive  shooting  at  this  club  I  am  sure  was  not 
the  only  reason  for  the  diminution  of  the  game.  But 
few  guns  visit  the  club  each  season,  and  although  there 


i84  WILD-FOWL 

is  here  no  bag  limit,  the  shooting  has  not  been  suffi- 
cient to  cause  the  red-heads  so  nearly  to  disappear. 
The  failure  of  their  food,  its  destruction  by  the  carp, 
and  the  excessive  shooting  by  the  market  gunners  at 
St.  Clair,  on  the  north,  and  in  the  Southern  States  dur- 
ing the  winter,  have  no  doubt  combined  to  bring  about 
the  unfortunate  result  shown  by  the  club  register. 
Singular  it  is,  if  true,  as  I  am  informed,  that  the  clubs 
of  the  Lake  Erie  region  are  opposed  to  laws  prohibit- 
ing spring  shooting.  Many  ducks  would  no  doubt 
remain  to  breed  on  their  preserves  were  there  no  guns 
fired  at  them  in  the  spring. 

The  shooting  of  the  red-heads  is  similar  to  that  of 
the  canvas-backs.  They  come  to  the  same  decoys  and 
present  about  the  same  marks.  I  have  shot  them 
from  a  sail-boat  on  Long  Island  Sound,  and  have  shot 
them  in  the  West,  where  they  were  sufficiently  abun- 
dant to  need  no  decoys.  I  once  killed  quite  a  num- 
ber of  these  birds  shooting  on  a  pass  between  two 
lakes,  in  North  Dakota,  and  their  flight  was  extremely 
rapid.  They  passed  quite  close  to  my  ambush,  how- 
ever, since  it  was  well  placed  at  a  point  where  I 
observed  these  ducks  and  many  others  passing  in  both 
directions.  Thousands  which  had  been  driven  out  at 
our  approach,  were  returning  to  one  of  the  lakes,  and 
although  I  had  no  decoys  and  had  been  shooting  too 
much  at  the  grouse  to  do  well  with  the  swifter  marks, 
I  had  no  trouble  in  making  a  good  bag.  The  red- 
heads, like  the  canvas-backs,  are  great  divers,  and  it  is 
difficult  on  that  account  to  secure  wounded  birds  when 
they  fall  in  the  water.  When  a  bird  falls  with  his 
head  up,  or  is  evidently  only  wounded,  it  is  a  matter 


THE  RED-HEAD  185 

of  economy  as  well  as  humanity  to  give  him  the  sec- 
ond barrel  before  he  strikes  the  water.  I  found  it 
difficult  to  recover  wounded  birds  from  a  sail-boat.  As 
we  approached  them  swimming  on  the  water,  they 
went  under  before  they  could  be  picked  up,  and  ap- 
peared again  a  long  way  off.  The  best  retrievers  often 
fail  to  secure  them.  The  red-heads  are  not  abundant 
on  the  Pacific  Coast.  Mr.  Thompson,  in  a  recent 
article,  *'  Duck  Shooting  Along  the  Columbia,"  says 
the  red-head,  along  that  stream,  is  very  rare.  I  found 
the  red-heads  this  spring  extremely  abundant  at  Back 
Bay,  Currituck,  far  more  abundant  than  any  other 
duck. 


XXVIII 

THE   SCAUP-DUCKS 

THE  scaup-ducks,  known  to  sportsmen  in  different 
parts  of  the  country  as  black-heads,  blue-bills,  or 
broad-bills,  come  to  the  United  States  usually  in  Octo- 
ber and  are  found  not  only  on  both  coasts  but  through- 
out the  interior.  There  are  two  distinct  species, 
exactly  alike  except  in  size  ;  one  known  as  the  big 
black-head,  big  broad-  or  blue-bill,  and  the  other  as  the 
little  black-head,  blue-bill  or  broad-bill.  The  latter 
is  also  called  creek  broad-bill  or  blue-bill.  These  two 
ducks  are  often  confused,  with  the  result  that  one  is 
often  reported  abundant  in  one  locality  when  as  a 
matter  of  fact  it  is  the  other.  They  were  formerly 
supposed  to  be  the  same,  but  the  ornithologists  are 
now  agreed  that  the  two  species  are  as  distinct  as 
the  greater  and  lesser  yellow-leg  tattlers,  the  king  rail 
and  the  Virginia  rail,  and  some  other  birds  which  are 
exactly  alike  in  pattern  and  color,  but  which  are  not 
related.  Elliot  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  larger  black- 
heads are  more  often  found  about  the  coasts  and  the 
smaller  birds  in  the  interior.  Both  have  black  heads, 
as  the  name  would  suggest.  The  fore-parts  of  the 
back,  lower-back,  and  rump  are  black.  The  middle 
part  of  the  back  and  sides  is  white,  undulated  with 
black   lines  similar  to  those  of   the   red-head,  which 

1 86 


THE   SCAUP-DUCKS  187 

gives  the  back  and  sides  the  gray  appearance  com- 
mon to  both  canvas-backs  and  red-heads.  The  head 
of  the  larger  variety  is  said  to  have  green  reflections ; 
that  of  the  smaller  bird  is  said  to  have  purple  reflec- 
tions, but  iridescent  color  reflections  are  usually 
changeable  and,  as  Elliot  says,  feathers  which  reflect 
green  in  one  light  may  be  purple  in  another.  From 
the  sportsman's  point  of  view  the  birds  are  the  same, 
excepting  as  to  size.  Both  birds  come  nicely  to 
decoys,  fly  with  great  rapidity,  and  are  excellent  food 
when  feeding  on  water  grass;  but  not  so  palatable 
when  the  diet  is  unfavorable. 

These  ducks,  like  the  canvas-backs  and  red-heads, 
are  expert  divers,  and,  like  the  others,  use  their  wings 
under  water  to  propel  themselves  when  in  search  of 
food,  or  seeking  to  escape  when  wounded. 

The  flocks  of  the  smaller  scaup  are  often  larger, 
much  larger,  in  fact,  than  those  of  the  big  black-heads, 
which  usually  contain  from  six  or  less,  to  ten  or  twelve 
birds.  Herbert  Job  recently  observed  the  scaups,  big 
and  little,  in  pairs  on  the  Dakota  lakes  in  the  spring, 
and  secured  a  photograph  of  the  nest  of  the  smaller 
bird.  These  birds,  like  the  other  sea-fowl,  are  well 
protected  with  feathers  and  require  hard  hitting  to 
bring  them  down.  I  used  to  use  No.  3  or  4  shot  for 
all  sea-ducks,  but  have  later  used  No.  5  or  6  with 
better  results. 

In  addition  to  the  big  and  little  black-heads,  there  is 
another  bird  very  similar  to  the  little  scaup,  which  is 
known  as  the  ring-neck  duck.  This  duck  is  often 
called  the  shuffler,  tufted  duck,  and  ring-neck  black 
duck,  and  has  a  wide   distribution  throughout  North 


i88  WILD-FOWL 

America.  It  is  often  found  in  company  and  con- 
founded with  the  little  scaup.  It  is  nowhere  a  com- 
mon species.  It  has  been  known  to  nest  in  Maine, 
Wisconsin,  and  Minnesota.  It  is  seen  more  often  in- 
land than  on  the  coast,  and  has  the  same  habits  and 
rapid  flight  as  the  little  black-head,  from  which  it  is 
distinguished  by  the  ring  more  or  less  distinct  about 
its  neck.  The  ring-neck  goes  in  small  fliocks  and  is 
probably  more  abundant  in  the  Mississippi  valley 
than  elsewhere.  It  comes  readily  to  the  decoys. 
These  three  ducks  may  be  shot  from  the  same  blind, 
over  the  same  decoys,  big  or  little. 

The  scaups  are  fairly  abundant  on  the  bays  or  la- 
goons on  the  south  side  of  Long  Island,  which  are 
separated  from  the  sea  by  long  narrow  beaches,  fa- 
miliar to  those  who  know  the  Atlantic  Coast.  Here 
they  are  still  shot  from  the  battery  over  large  flocks 
of  a  hundred  or  more  decoys. 

I  began  shooting  scaups  when  a  student  at  New 
Haven,  and  usually  spent  the  spring  vacations  in  their 
company,  shooting  with  a  market  gunner  who  knew 
the  bay  and  the  ducks,  and  who  owned  a  good  battery 
and  a  large  lot  of  well-painted  decoys. 

Long  before  daybreak  this  fine  old  salt  tapped  on 
my  door  (I  made  his  cabin  my  home)  and  announced 
that  breakfast  was  ready,  and  the  savory  odor  of  the 
meal  came  with  the  light  from  his  lantern  through  the 
crack  beneath  the  door.  Having  breakfasted,  we 
went  out  into  the  night,  and  embarking  in  his  sail-boat, 
which  carried  the  battery  and  decoys,  we  slipped 
quietly  down  the  creek  which  led  to  the  bay.  We 
expected  to   beat   his   neighbor,  another  professional 


THE  SCAUP-DUCKS  189 

gunner,  to  the  best  stand  for  the  morning's  shooting. 
As  we  went  out  on  the  bay  we  heard  the  thump, 
thump  of  an  oar  far  away  in  the  darkness,  and  my 
bayman  said  :  "  That's  Lane  going  out — ahead  of  us. 
Perhaps  he  is  rigged  for  geese,"  he  added.  Lane  had 
a  flock  of  live  decoys.  We,  too,  used  our  oar  to  aid 
the  sail.  Just  before  daybreak  we  reached  the  place 
determined  upon,  and  found  it  unoccupied.  The  bat- 
tery was  placed  in  the  water,  the  decoys  were  arranged 
about  it  within  close  range,  and  my  gunner  sailed 
away  to  leave  me  lying  below  the  surface  of  the  bay  in 
the  box  with  its  wide  rim  floating  on  the  water.  As 
the  first  light  came  in  the  east  I  could  see  the  ducks, 
mostly  scaups  and  red-heads,  flying  swiftly  across  the 
dim  gray  light.  Soon  there  was  a  rush  of  wings  quite 
close  to  my  head  as  a  flock  of  black-heads  swung  in 
to  the  decoys.  Sitting  up  I  fired  two  barrels  at  the 
shadowy  forms,  but  nothing  struck  the  water,  and  the 
noisy  whistling  of  wings  was  soon  lost  in  the  darkness. 

As  the  sun  came  up  the  ducks  came  rapidly,  some- 
times one  or  two,  more  often  a  flock.  I  shot  at  every 
one,  with  but  poor  success.  The  cramped  position, 
the  hasty  shot  from  a  sitting  position,  were  new  to  me 
and  strange,  and  it  was  some  time  before  I  began  to 
kill  the  ducks. 

A  single  bird  coming  head  on  was  about  to  settle  to 
the  decoys,  when  I  fired  at  him  at  close  range,  and  he 
struck  the  water  dead.  Shortly  afterward  I  made  a 
double  from  a  flock,  and  with  growing  confidence  my 
shooting  improved.  I  soon  had  a  goodly  lot  of  scaups 
showing  black  and  white  upon  the  waves  as  they 
drifted  with  the  breeze!     Meanwhile  the  bayman,  who 


iQO  WILD-FOWL 

had  been  cruising  far  enough  away  not  to  alarm  the 
ducks,  approached  and  gathered  in  the  slain.  Stand- 
ing in  close  to  the  battery,  he  remarked  that  I  was 
**  learninV'  and  after  explaining  how  I  might  attract  a 
passing  flock  by  putting  one  foot  up  and  down  quickly 
in  the  air,  and  giving  other  good  advice,  he  sailed 
away  to  disturb  a  flock  which  was  feeding  on  the 
bay.  The  flight  was  good  for  several  hours,  and 
then  the  birds  stopped  coming.  The  bayman  came 
and  took  me  from  the  box.  We  sailed  away  to  eat 
our  luncheon  on  the  shore.  The  pipes  were  lighted, 
and  basking  in  the  sunlight  on  a  dune,  I  listened  to  the 
stories  of  the  sea  and  ducks. 

Much  good  advice  was  given.  I  did  not  lead  tfie 
birds  enough,  he  said.  Shot  too  low  at  rising  marks 
was  too  quick  at  the  second  pair,  not  quick  enough 
at  the  passing  flocks.  The  single  bird  was  far  too 
close  and  badly  torn.  One  double  was  done  in  style. 
The  morning's  work  had  evidently  been  closely 
watched,  and  nothing  had  escaped  the  observation  of 
my  guide.  When  the  birds  began  to  fly  again  he 
asked  if  he  should  shoot  a  bit  to  show  me  how.  The 
birds  fared  badly  at  his  hands.  He  seldom  missed  a 
shot.  Soon,  with  more  advice,  again  he  left  me  in  the 
box.  Birds  came.  I  missed  them  as  before.  But  some 
there  were  which  came  to  stay,  and  at  evening  when 
the  decoys  were  taken  up  the  bag  was  pronounced  a 
good  one — some  thirty  birds  or  more,  including  the 
half-dozen  shot  by  my  instructor  to  show  me  how. 
The  light  in  the  tall  white  tower  was  reflected  with 
the  stars  from  the  wavelets  in  the  bay.  We  slipped 
along  before  the  breeze. 


THE   SCAUP-DUCKS  191 

A  clam-chowder,  a  merganser-stew,  which  I  shall 
refer  to  again,  a  roasted  scaup,  were  all  served  steam- 
ing hot,  and  having  dined  I  heard  more  stories  of  the 
sea  and  shore.  Meantime  the  wind  freshened  to  a 
gale  and  howled  about  the  cabin,  as  it  only  can  when 
passing  over  sea  or  plain. 

"  The  black-ducks  will  be  in  the  bay  to-morrow,"  said 
my  host — "  too  rough  for  them  outside.  Red-heads 
and  scaups  will  also  move  about.  Will  call  you  early 
— and  good-night." 


XXIX 

THE  GOLDEN-EYE  AND  OTHER  SEA-DUCKS 

THE  golden-eye,  often  called  the  whistler,  is  well 
known  from  the  loud  whistling  noise  made  by 
the  wings.  It  is  a  very  handsome  duck,  but  nowhere 
so  common  as  many  other  varieties.  Like  most  of  the 
other  ducks  the  whistler  goes  to  the  far  North  to  nest 
and  returns  to  the  United  States  in  the  autumn,  where 
it  is  widely  distributed  throughout  the  country.  The 
golden-eye  builds  its  nest  in  a  hole  in  a  tree,  some- 
where near  a  lake  or  stream.  There  are  usually  six 
or  eight  eggs.  It  flies  with  great  rapidity  and  goes 
through  the  branches  like  a  ruffed-grouse.  It  does 
not  come  readily  to  decoys  and  more  often  not  at  all. 

The  golden-eye  is  generally  seen  singly,  in  pairs,  or 
in  small  flocks. 

About  the  coast  the  golden-eye  feeds  on  shell-fish, 
and  is  therefore  not  very  good  to  eat,  but  in  the  in- 
terior it  feeds  on  grasses  and  roots  and  is  better.  It 
is  often  seen  with  the  little  broad-bill  and  the  buffle- 
head  on  bays  and  ponds  and  is  a  wonderful  diver, 
going  under  usually  before  the  shot  reaches  it.  The 
game  record  of  the  Winous  Point  Club  (Sandusky 
marshes)  would  indicate  that  it  is  there  a  rare  bird. 
In  years  when  there  were  thousands  of  ducks  killed, 
the  record  shows  but  one  or  two  of  the  golden-eye 
ducks  and  often  none.     I  found  a  few  of  these  birds 

192 


THE   GOLDEN-EYE,  ETC.  i93 

on  the  grounds  now  owned  by  the  English  Lake  Club 
on  the  Kankakee  in  Indiana,  and  once  made  a  very 
good  shot  at  one  when  mallard  shooting.  I  heard  the 
whistler  coming  from  behind  my  back  and  well  over- 
head. He  was  going  so  rapidly  that  I  only  had  time 
to  make  a  snap-shot  at  him,  but  he  fell  dead  in  the 
river. 

The  Indians  call  it  a  spirit  duck.  On  the  Yukon 
they  stuff  the  skin  to  make  a  toy  for  the  children. 

The  Indians  of  the  Frazer  valley  tell  a  story  of  two 
men  in  one  of  their  tribes  who  had  a  dispute  as  to 
how  the  whistler  made  the  noise,  one  claiming  it  was 
produced  by  the  wings,  the  other  that  it  was  vocal  or 
made  through  the  nostrils.  Others  joined  in  the  con- 
troversy, which  resulted  in  a  majority  of  the  warriors 
being  killed  without  settling  the  question.  Allan 
Brooks,  quoted  in  "Birds  that  Hunt  and  are  Hunted," 
is  my  authority  for  this  story. 

Barrow's  golden-eye  is  the  Western  variety  of  this 
bird,  but  they  are  so  much  alike  in  appearance  and 
habits,  as  to  be  one  and  the  same  from  the  sportsman's 
point  of  view. 

THE  BUFFLE-HEAD. 

The  buffle-head  is  another  duck  which  nests  in  trees 
and  is  an  expert  diver.  It  is  one  of  the  smallest  of  the 
ducks,  being  not  much  larger  than  the  blue-wing  teal. 
It  flies  rapidly  and  alights  "  by  striking  the  water  at 
an  angle  with  a  splash  and  sliding  along  on  it."  It  is 
a  cold-weather  duck  and  remains  in  the  United  States 
until   the  water  freezes  over.      I  have   shot  a  few  of 


194  WILD-FOWL 

these  ducks  on  the  Ohio  River,  on  the  Kankakee  and 
at  other  places  in  Indiana  and  always  found  their  flesh 
palatable.  Where  mallards,  spoon-bills,  sprig-tails  and 
other  large,  choice  ducks  are  abundant  the  little  but- 
ter-balls, as  they  are  called,  are  often  allowed  to  go 
unmolested.  One  day  when  shooting  at  English  Lake, 
Indiana,  we  discovered  a  flock  of  seven  of  these  birds 
feeding  in  a  little  bay,  and  as  my  punter  moved  the 
boat  slowly  toward  them,  they  flew  out  in  the  direc- 
tion of  the  lake,  passing  at  long  range,  and  I  brought 
down  three  with  my  first  barrel  and  two  with  the 
second,  much  to  the  delight  of  my  attendant.  He  had 
been  celebrating  the  good  shots  by  taking  a  drink 
from  my  flask,  and  as  he  seemed  to  think  all  of  my 
shots  worthy  of  notice  the  flask  had  been  emptied,  and 
he  proceeded  to  do  honor  to  this  occasion  by  drinking 
five  times  from  a  stone  jug  of  his  own,  which  he  had 
brought  for  an  emergency,  and  he  soon  became  quite 
hilarious.  We  were  fortunately  near  the  house,  and  I 
secured  a  punter  with  more  ability  and  less  enthu- 
siasm for  the  remaining  days  of  my  visit. 

The  buflfle-head  is  distinctly  a  North  American  spe- 
cies, and  is  found  from  the  Arctic  Sea  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  migrating  like  the  other  ducks  in  spring  and 
fall.  It  is  in  some  locations  called  the  dipper,  but  this 
term  is,  I  believe,  more  often  applied  to  the  hell-diver. 

THE  RUDDY-DUCK. 

The  ruddy-duck  is  the  last  of  the  sea-ducks  which 
is  worthy  of  the  sportsman's  gun.  It  is  a  small  duck, 
intermediate  in  size  between  the  green-winged  and  the 


THE   GOLDEN-EYE,  ETC.  19S 

cinnamon-teal.  The  green-wing  is  the  smallest  of  all 
the  ducks,  its  length  being  about  fourteen  and  a  half 
inches.  The  length  of  the  ruddy-duck  is  sixteen 
inches,  and  that  of  the  cinnamon-teal  seventeen  inches. 

The  ruddy-duck  is  generally  dispersed  throughout 
North  America  and  breeds  throughout  its  range. 
There  are  often  many  eggs  in  a  nest.  One  was  found 
containing  twenty,  but  Elliot  says  these  must  have 
been  deposited  by  two  females. 

Herbert  Job  recently  found  the  ruddy-duck  breeding 
in  the  same  locality  with  the  canvas-backs  and  red- 
heads in  North  Dakota,  and  procured  photographs  of 
the  nests,  one  of  which  contained  fifteen  eggs.  It 
seemed  almost  impossible,  he  says,  in  writing  about 
this  nest,  that  such  a  little  bird  as  the  ruddy-duck 
should  have  laid  that  pile  of  eggs  several  times  its 
own  weight  in  less  than  three  weeks. 

It  will  not  be  long  before  all  the  ducks  and  geese 
cease  to  breed  anywhere  within  the  United  States. 
Before  it  is  too  late  the  State  of  Dakota  or  the  Na- 
tional Government  should,  as  I  have  observed  else- 
where, establish  a  park  or  refuge,  to  include  some  of 
the  small  lakes  and  sloughs  where  the  wild  fowl  now 
nest.  Such  parks  would  be  far  more  interesting  than 
any  zoological  garden  where  beasts  and  birds  are  con- 
fined in  ill-smelling  cages,  and  where  they  too  often 
present  a  picture  of  unhappiness.  The  results  of  such 
a  park  would  be  to  keep  the  other  lakes  and  streams 
of  the  State  supplied  with  birds  for  many  years,  and 
would  do  much  to  save  entire  families  of  birds,  which 
the  eminent  ornithologist  Elliot  and  many  others  be- 
lieve will   entirely  vaftish  from  the  North  American 


196  WILD-FOWL 

Continent.  States  like  Ohio,  which  are  vainly  striv- 
ing to  introduce  the  pheasants  of  China  by  means  of 
expensive  hatcheries,  are  blissfully  unmindful  of  the 
fact  that  at  less  expense  they  might  save  their  own 
water-fowl,  birds  of  far  more  economic  value,  by  State 
preserves  to  include  the  worthless  marsh-lands  and 
the  great  canal  reservoirs. 

The  ruddy-duck  likes  all  waters,  salt  and  fresh,  and 
is  still  fairly  abundant  at  times  on  the  Chesapeake  Bay 
and  the  Southern  sounds,  where  it  was  neglected  in 
favor  of  the  big  canvas-backs,  red-heads,  and  scaups 
until  recently  when  it  became  fashionable  to  eat  rud- 
dy-ducks, and  they  now  bring  good  prices  in  the  mar- 
kets where  it  is  legal  to  sell  them. 

The  ruddy  has  large  feet  and  swims  swiftly;  is  an 
expert  diver  and  often  sinks  out  of  sight  without  div- 
ing, like  the  hell-diver.  It  swims  about  on  the  water 
with  its  tail  elevated,  and  presents  a  ludicrous  appear- 
ance which  is  unmistakable.  It  flies  in  good-sized 
flocks,  very  swiftly,  like  the  teal,  and  comes  to  the  de- 
coys with  a  rush,  dropping  into  the  water  with  a 
splash.  The  ruddy-ducks  are  often  called  boobies. 
On  many  of  the  bays  they  are  shot  from  a  line  of 
skiffs  which  approach  them  and  force  them  to  fly 
out  over  or  past  them.  The  statute  of  North  Caro- 
lina provides  that  it  shall  be  unlawful  to  skiff  or 
ring-shoot  any  boobies  between  November  lo  and 
February  15. 


XXX 

OLD-SQUAWS,  COOTS,  AND  EIDERS 

HAVING  disposed  of  the  desirable  sea-ducks  or 
divers,  those  which  are  good  to  eat,  there  remain 
a  number  of  birds  which  are  often  taken  by  sportsmen 
in  an  arduous  but  picturesque  manner  from  boats  an- 
chored far  out  upon  the  sea.  Since  ducks  fiy  best  in 
stormy  weather,  this  sport  is  attended  with  much  hard- 
ship and  often  danger,  and  although  I  have  tried  it 
many  times,  it  was  alwavs  for  the  reason  that  there 
was  nothing  better  within  the  limit  of  my  time.  The 
old-squaw,  the  coots,  and  the  eiders  are  in  the  habit  of 
remaining  on  the  waves  some  distance  from  the  shore, 
and  since  they  are  expert  divers,  it  is  almost  impossible 
to  get  near  them  with  a  boat.  As  they  are  moving 
about,  however,  they  often  follow  certain  lines  of  flight, 
and  a  number  of  sportsmen  going  out  together,  each 
in  his  own  craft,  form  a  line  of  boats  over  which  the 
ducks  must  pass,  or  make  a  long  detour  to  avoid  so 
doing.  The  boats  are  placed  so  that  a  duck  passing 
midway  between  two  of  them  will  be  just  within  the 
range  of  both. 

This  sport,  as  can  well  be  imagined,  calls  for  skilful 
shooting,  since  the  anchored  boats  are  tossed  by  the 
waves  and  the  duck^  are  under  full  headway  when 
they  pass,  and  see  the  danger  underneath. 

197 


198  WILD-FOWL 

Daniel  Webster  was  fond  of  this  sport,  and  was  often 
seen  in  an  open  boat  off  the  Massachusetts  coast  in 
the  vicinity  of  his  home  at  Marshfield,  shooting  in  the 
line. 

A  short  distance  from  New  Haven,  to  the  east,  quite 
near  the  town  of  Branford,  Conn.,  there  is  a  group  of 
small  islands  in  the  sound.  These  are  called  the 
Thimble  Islands,  and  on  one  of  them  there  was,  in  the 
writer's  college  days,  a  tavern  where  sportsmen  who 
desired  to  shoot  coots  and  old-squaws  were  entertained. 
Here  these  ducks  came  in  goodly  numbers  in  the  fall, 
and  there  were  usually  enough  gunners  present  on  this 
island  to  form  a  line  of  boats.  Each  had  his  number 
or  place  in  the  line,  and  those  who  shot  from  its  outer 
end  were  often  far  from  shore. 

Starting  early  in  the  morning  of  a  stormy  day,  I 
pulled  a  heavy  boat  to  my  place  far  out  upon  the  line, 
and  soon  the  ducks  began  to  come.  I  tried  a  shot  at 
the  first  comers  just  as  a  large  wave  struck  the  boat, 
and  came  quite  near  going  overboard.  The  shot 
went  nowhere  near  the  ducks,  which  were  soon  out  of 
sight.  Others  came  in  quick  succession,  and  at  the 
hands  of  that  best  instructor,  experience,  I  learned 
enough  sometimes  to  bring  one  down.  A  wounded 
bird  I  found  impossible  to  secure.  Progress  with  the 
heavy  boat  was  slow,  and  the  birds  were  fast  not  only 
on  the  surface  but  below.  Good  shots  were  made  by 
sportsmen  in  the  neighboring  boats:  old  hands  who 
could  preserve  an  even  balance  and  often  make  a 
double.  The  exhibition  of  good  shooting  down  the 
line  was  well  worth  coming  far  to  see. 

Sometimes  the  waves  increased,  the  wind  ran  high, 


OLD-SQUAWS,  COOTS,  AND  EIDERS    199 

and  water  came  aboard  the  boats.  A  neighbor  shouts : 
**  We  can't  stand  it  much  longer  out  here,"  and  soon  the 
anchors  all  are  up  ;  the  boats  are  pulling  madly  for  the 
shore.  Mountains  of  water  with  snowy  crests  of  foam 
come  rushing  on  and  toss  tlie  heavy  craft  about.  A 
mile  an  hour,  perhaps,  and  then  the  boats  pull  one  by 
one  into  more  quiet  water  under  shelter  of  the  island. 
The  gunners  gather  about  the  office  stove  to  tell  the 
stories  of  the  day. 

As  for  the  game,  it  certainly  is  not  worth  the  work.  It 
must  be  worth  the  fun.  The  birds  have  a  strong  sedgy 
or  fishy  taste  which  parboiling  with  onions  will  not  re- 
move. They  are,  too,  covered  with  heavy  feathers  which 
protect  them  from  the  shot,  and  make  the  preparation 
of  them  for  the  table  arduous.  Elliot  says  of  one  of  these 
—the  white-winged  scoter:  "  Its  feathers  also,  besides 
being  strong  and  thick,  seem  as  if  they  were  inserted 
through  the  skin  and  clinched  on  the  other  side,  and 
the  labor  of  picking  a  few  individuals  of  this  coat  is  no 
joke,  usually  resulting  in  sore  fingers."  His  reference 
to  the  flesh  is  that  it  is  "  abominable." 

Returning  to  New  Haven  from  my  first  expedition 
to  the  Thimble  Islands  (entirely  unaware  of  the  riv- 
eted feathers  and  table  qualities  referred  to),  I  pre- 
sented a  few  of  these  delicacies  to  a  college  professor 
who  with  his  niece,  a  handsome  and  lovely  girl,  had 
placed  me  under  many  obligations  by  their  kindness 
to  a  "freshman."  The  next  time  I  called  upon  my 
friends  I  was  thanked  for  the  birds,  but  there  was  an 
absence  of  all  enthusiasm  in  the  thanks,  and  when  I 
came  to  know  the  game,  the  wretched  thought  occurred 
to  me  that  they  had  probably  tried  to  eat  the  ducks 


200  WILD-FOWL 

without  onions  and  had   probably  maimed  or  lost  a 
valued  servant-girl  besides. 

THE  SURF-SCOTER 

The  surf-scoter  is  somewhat  smaller  than  a  mallard, 
being  nineteen  inches  long.  It  is  appropriately  dressed 
in  black  and  has  a  white  spot,  triangular  in  shape,  on 
its  forehead.  Why  nature  has  placed  this  ray  of  purity 
on  the  bird's  head  I  never  could  imagine.  Its  disper- 
sion is  general.  Its  dispossession  is  difficult.  By  this 
is  meant  it  is  hard  to  dispose  of  a  second  time  to  those 
who  have  tried  it;  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the 
other  coots. 

This  bird  is  often  called  *' spectacled  coot,'*  "bay 
coot,"  and  has  other  local  names  by  which  it  may  pos- 
sibly deceive  the  unwary. 

THE  WHITE-WINGED   SCOTER 

Another  bird  dressed  entirely  in  black,  excepting  the 
speculum  on  the  wing  and  a  spot  under  the  eyes,  which 
are  white.  This  bird  is  also  known  as  the  white-eye  and 
white-winged  coot,  and  has  the  same  habits  and  tastes 
as  the  others.  It  is  a  well-known  bird  along  the  coasts 
and  on  inland  lakes.  Its  range  extends  from  the  Arctic 
Sea  to  Florida  and  Mexico. 

THE   AMERICAN   SCOTER 

This  bird  is  entirely  black.  It  is  widely  distributed 
from  the  Arctic  Ocean  south  to  New  Jersey,  on  the 


OLD-SQUAWS,  COOTS,  AND  EIDERS    201 

Eastern  coast  and  to  southern  California  on  the  Pacific 
side.  The  bird  may  be  identified  and  avoided  by  the 
bill,  which  is  bright  orange  on  the  basal  half.  It  is 
often  called  black  coot,  whistling  coot,  and  has  other 
local  names. 

THE   VELVET   SCOTER 

The  velvet  scoter  is  given  in  the  check-list  as  an 
old-world  bird,  which  has,  fortunately,  only  been  found 
on  our  shores  a  few  times.  Its  general  appearance  is 
velvety  black  ;  speculum  white. 

THE  OLD-SQUAW 

This  bird  is  often  called  "Old  South  Southerly," 
from  the  supposed  resemblance  between  the  sounds  it 
utters  and  those  words.  I  am,  however,  not  very  good 
at  discovering  such  resemblances,  and  I  doubt  if  the 
average  observer  would  call  the  bird  by  that  name 
without  instruction.  There  are,  however,  other  in- 
stances of  birds  being  named  from  their  notes — the 
kill-deer  plover  and  the  Bob-white  partridge  are  ex- 
amples of  this  style  of  nomenclature.  This  duck  is  also 
often  called  the  long-tailed  duck,  from  its  long  tail,  but 
the  latter  term  is  more  often  applied  to  the  fresh- 
water sprigtail  duck. 

The  old-squaw  inhabits  North  America  from  the 
Arctic  Sea  south  to  the  Ohio  River ;  specimens  have 
been  seen  farther  south.  I  obtained  one  on  the  Kan- 
kakee, in  Indiana.  The  old-squaw  does  not  much  fre- 
quent the  western  cq^st  south  of  Alaska.  Like  the 
coots,  this  bird  is  fond  of  the  sea,  and  is  often  seen  in 


202  WILD-FOWL 

flocks  off  the  shore.  It  is  a  swift  flyer,  expert  diver, 
a  fish  eater,  and  a  tough  and  undesirable  bird  for  the 
table.  The  evolutions  of  this  bird  in  the  air  are  said 
to  be  beautiful  in  the  spring-time,  when  the  males 
chase  the  females  about,  and  all  dive  from  the  air  into 
the  water,  and  come  up  again  one  after  the  other, 
there  sometimes  being  a  number  of  males  in  the  chase. 
In  summer  the  old-squaw  is  almost  dirty  black. 

THE  HARLEQUIN  DUCK 

This  is  a  rare  North  American  duck,  so  named  from 
its  fantastic  markings.  It  is  extremely  rare,  and  of  no 
importance  to  sportsmen.  Even  that  industrious  orni- 
thologist, Elliot,  says  he  never  saw  one  alive. 

THE   EIDERS 

The  eiders  are  noted  for  their  down.  They  are  all 
great  divers,  and  subsist  on  food  which  gives  them  the 
fishy  taste  common  to  the  coots.  Lieutenant  McConnell, 
of  the  revenue  cutter  Bear,  in  a  magazine  article,  speaks 
of  the  eiderduck  as  "  an  excellent  table  bird."  They  may 
be  to  an  arctic  appetite,  but  such  is  not  their  reputation 
on  our  coasts.  The  varieties  are  known  as  the  common 
eider;  the  American  eider,  which  replaces  the  common 
eider  on  a  large  portion  of  the  Atlantic  Coast ;  the  king 
eider,  and  the  Pacific  eider.  The  Pacific  eider  is  dis- 
tinctly an  Alaskan  bird.  The  king  eider  is  also  an 
arctic  bird,  but  comes  occasionally  as  far  south  as  New 
Jersey  ;  but  it  is  not  abundant.  The  king  eider  is  the 
largest  of  these  birds,  being  almost  an  inch  longer  than 


OLD-SQUAWS,  COOTS,  AND  EIDERS    203 

the  mallard.     The  spectacled  eider  is  another  Alaskan 
bird,  and  has  never  appeared  south  of  that  territory. 

Stellars  duck,  the  last  on  the  list  of  sea-ducks,  is 
given  as  a  straggler  to  our  coasts,  found  only  on  the 
coasts  of  Behring  Sea. 


XXXI 

RIVER-DUCK   SHOOTING 

MUCH  that  has  been  said  about  sea-duck  shooting 
applies  to  the  shooting  of  the  shoal- water  ducks 
or  dabblers.  These  birds  seldom  frequent  the  salt  bays 
and  lagoons,  and  are  nowhere  as  abundant  in  the  salt 
marshes  as  they  are  in  those  where  the  wild-rice  and 
fresh-water  reeds  and  rushes  grow.  The  river-ducks 
are  shot  from  blinds  on  the  shore,  and  in  some  places 
from  batteries  placed  in  the  open  water;  but  the  bat- 
teries are  more  often  used  for  sea-fowl,  and,  as  I  have 
observed,  their  use  is  in  most  places  now  prohibited. 
River-ducks  are  also  shot  from  points  or  passes  as  they 
fiy  from  one  feeding-ground  to  another,  in  the  same 
way  that  sea-ducks  are  taken. 

It  is  most  important  in  connection  with  this  method 
of  capture  to  remember  that  the  ducks  have  certain 
well-defined-  lines  of  flight,  and  that  the  sportsman's 
blind  must  be  under  one  of  these.  Observe  well  what 
the  ducks  are  doing  on  a  given  morning.  The  lines 
travelled  are  not  always  the  same.  The  wind,  the 
weather,  or  much  shooting,  may  change  the  course, 
and  an  observant  gunner  will  soon  change  his  blind  so 
as  to  be  within  range  of  the  flight  and  not  remain  on  a 
given  pass  simply  because  the  ducks  flew  over  it  some 
other  day. 

Jumping  ducks,  as  it  is  termed  is  a  favorite  method 

204 


RIVER-DUCK  SHOOTING  205 

of  capturing  river-ducks,  and  since  I  prefer  pursuit  to 
ambush,  I  like  this  form  of  sport  the  best. 

In  many  of  the  fresh-water  marshes  there  is  suffi- 
cient water  for  the  ducks  to  swim  and  for  a  light  boat 
to  move  about  through  the  tall  reeds,  rushes,  and  wild- 
rice.  The  sportsman  having  taken  his  place  in  the 
boat  is  pushed  rapidly  along  by  a  punter,  who  propels 
the  boat  with  a  long  pole.  Many  of  the  ducks  which 
are  scattered  about  in  the  reeds  arise  within  range,  and 
there  is  often  opportunity  for  a  double  shot.  The 
shots,  I  should  say,  from  the  moving  boat,  are  more 
difficult  than  many  of  those  from  ambush  over  the 
decoys,  but  since  the  birds  are  rising  from  the  water 
and  are  not  under  full  headway  when  the  gun  is  fired, 
the  shots  are  less  difficult  than  those  at  travelling 
ducks  when  the  shooting  is  from  points  or  passes. 
This  method  of  pursuit  reminds  one  of  rail-shooting, 
and  I  have  often  shot  both  the  large  and  the  smaller 
rails  when  engaged  in  jumping  ducks. 

Much  here  depends  upon  the  punter.  He  should 
know  well  how  to  handle  the  boat,  to  send  it  swiftly 
through  the  reeds,  to  steady  it  for  the  shot ;  and 
should  be  able  to  mark  closely  the  dead  and  wounded 
birds.  He  should  be  familiar  with  the  marshes,  know 
where  the  boat  can  go,  and  where  and  when  the  ducks 
are  most  abundant. 

Such  men  I  have  shot  with  many  days  on  the 
marshes  of  the  Kankakee,  and  such  there  are  at  the 
duck  clubs  about  Sandusky  Bay,  the  St.  Clair  flats, 
and  on  the  marshes  about  the  Illinois,  and  in  fact, 
everywhere  I  have  been.  Their  services  are  of  course 
greatly   in   demand   at  the   duck  clubs,   where  they 


2o6  WILD-FOWL 

receive  good  wages,  and  many  of  them  are  employed 
throughout  the  year. 

Sportsmen  sometimes  propel  their  own  boats  by 
means  of  a  sculling-oar  or  pole,  but  few  men  can  man- 
age a  boat  and  shoot  well  at  the  same  time.  The  Cal- 
ifornia market  gunners  use  a  light-draught  skiff  half 
decked  over  and  covered  with  grass,  so  as  to  resem- 
ble closely  the  marsh.  In  this  boat  the  gunners  move 
quietly  about  and  shoot  the  ducks  asleep  upon  the 
mud-banks. 

Mr.  Gumming  says:  "Long  experience  has  taught 
these  men  that  speed  is  a  useful  auxiliary  to  science 
in  getting  upon  their  watchful  and  cautious  game,  and 
they  find  it  necessary  to  adopt  novel  methods  of  getting 
about,  one  of  which  is  that  of  lying  at  full  length  upon 
their  backs  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat,  totall}^  concealed 
from  outside  view,  while  working  a  peculiarly  bent 
oar  in  a  greased  scull-hole,  that  drives  the  blind-boat 
ahead  quietly  and  rapidly.  The  whole  outfit  resem- 
bles a  detached  portion  of  the  marsh  floating  naturally 
down  with  the  tide.  In  this  manner,  before  the  State 
law  was  passed  prohibiting  the  shooting  of  more  than 
fifty  birds  in  a  day,  the  pot-hunters  would  each  day, 
in  season  or  out  of  season,  fill  their  murderous  ma- 
chines to  the  gunwales,  thereby  making  such  a  glut  in 
the  markets  that  large  quantities  of  fine  fowl  spoiled 
before  they  could  be  sold." 

At  some  of  the  clubs  blinds  are  constructed  on  the 
open  water  by  driving  long  poles  or  young  trees  into 
the  muddy  bottom  in  such  shape  as  to  form  a  blind 
which  will  hold  a  boat.  This  is  open  at  one  end  or  has 
a  brush  door,  to  permit  the  entrance  of  the  boat,  and 


RIVER-DUCK   SHOOTING  207 

here  the  shooter  remains  concealed  until  the  birds 
come  to  his  decoys.  Such  blinds  are  prohibited  in 
some  States,  since  they  tend  to  drive  the  ducks  from 
the  feeding  grounds. 

Many  laws  have  been  passed  within  the  past  few 
years  regulating  this  and  other  field  sports  and  defin- 
ing the  methods  of  capture  ;  these  are  amended  from 
time  to  time,  and  the  sportsman  who  goes  to  shoot  in 
another  State  should  ascertain  the  rules  and  regula- 
tions, since  game  laws  in  many  States  now  mean 
something. 

River  ducks  are  often  shot,  where  they  are  abundant, 
by  sportsmen  who  walk  quietly  along  the  banks  of 
streams  or  sloughs  and  shoot  the  ducks  as  they  arise 
from  the  water.  In  this  way  I  began  my  duck-shoot- 
ing on  the  small  rivers  in  Ohio,  and  I  have  since  shot 
many  dabbling  ducks  of  all  varieties  from  an  Indian 
pony  moving  along  the  banks.  I  have  also  used  the 
pony  instead  of  the  boat  to  jump  the  ducks  in  shallow 
lakes,  and  am  inclined  to  think  this  rambling  about  on 
horseback  and  shooting  from  the  saddle  the  best  of 
all  duck-shooting. 


XXXII 

THE  MALLARD 

THERE  are  in  the  check-list  of  the  American 
Ornithological  Union  fourteen  shoal-water  or 
dabbling  ducks.  It  has  been  my  good  fortune  to 
shoot  them  all,  excepting  one  or  two  extra  limital  spe- 
cies, strays  from  the  old  world,  which  are  included  in 
the  list  of  the  ornithologists  because  they  have  been 
taken  on  our  shores.  These  are  of  no  importance, 
however,  to  the  sportsman,  since  they  are  not  common 
enough  to  furnish  sport.  They  are  often  referred  to 
as  accidental  visitors. 

I  should  be  inclined  to  say  that  the  mallard  was 
the  best  river  or  fresh-water  wild-duck  in  the  world, 
if  that  honor  did  not  belong  to  the  little  blue-wing 
teal.  All  fresh-water  ducks  are,  however,  excellent 
for  the  table  and  afford  magnificent  sport.  So,  like  the 
ornithologist  who  describes  one  duck  after  another  as 
the  finest  food,  we  are  in  danger  of  saying  many  of 
these  so-called  river-ducks  are  the  best.  In  Dakota 
we  used  to  have  a  mallard  for  dinner  and  a  blue-wing 
teal  for  dessert.  Perhaps  it  would  be  well  to  describe 
the  mallard  as  the  best  all-around  duck,  the  staple,  as 
it  were,  and  let  the  little  blue-wing  keep  the  place 
accorded  to  it  as  something  special,  just  a  trifle  better 
if  that  were  possible  than  the  best.     Comparing  the 

208 


THE   MALLARD  209 

flesh  of  the  mallard  and  the  teal,  it  may  be  said  that 
the  mallard  is  so  fine  that  one  sometimes  wonders  if 
the  blue-wing  can  possibly  be  better. 

The  behavior  of  the  two  birds  in  the  field  is  equally^ 
good,  they  both  come  nicely  to  the  decoys,  both  fly 
swiftly  and  test  the  skill  of  the  sportsman.  The  mal- 
lard is  a  larger  and  somewhat  easier  mark.  The  teal 
is  one  of  the  most  difficult  marks  in  feathers.  I  have 
had  occasion  to  carry  a  large  lot  of  mallards,  when  the 
wagon  or  ambulance  did  not  find  me  in  the  marsh  or 
when  the  boat  was  necessarily  left  a  long  distance 
from  the  blind,  and,  to  say  the  least,  the  transportation 
was  laborious.  The  reader  will  find  a  reference  to  the 
portable  character  of  the  teal  in  the  chapter  on  those 
splendid  birds. 

The  mallard  is  immediately  identified,  when  we  say 
he  is  the  green-headed  duck  of  the  barn-yards.  The 
latter  are  descended  from  the  mallards,  and  in  Eng- 
land the  mallards  are  often  referred  to  as  the  stock 
ducks.  The  wild  bird  is,  of  course,  far  more  beautiful. 
His  colors  are  brighter  and  he  is  alert  and  graceful  on 
the  water  and  can  fly  swiftly  through  the  air,  even  in 
the  timber. 

The  mallard  is  distributed  throughout  the  northern 
portion  of  both  hemispheres,  and  seems  entirely  to  have 
escaped  the  ornithological  variety  makers.  There  are 
thus  no  fractional  species,  the  (a),  (b),  and  (c)  of  the 
ornithologists.  The  mallard,  however,  has  shown  some 
ambition  to  create  a  new  species  or  perhaps  to  puzzle 
his  ornithological  biographers,  as  he  did  Audubon,  by 
an  occasional  intimacy  with  other  fresh-water  ducks, 
which  have  resulted* in   some  hybrid  birds   of   most 


2IO  WILD-FOWL 

singular  appearance.  I  have  seen  one  of  these  with  a 
mallard's  head  and  the  long  tail  of  the  sprig-tail  duck, 
and  others  have  been  discovered. 

,  The  mallard  is  a  fine,  large  duck,  twenty-two  inches 
in  length,  both  sexes  being  the  same  size.  It  is  by  far 
the  most  abundant  of  all  the  water-fowl,  and  when  the 
sportsman  goes  to  shoot  ducks  on  fresh-water  they 
are  usually  mallards,  the  other  varieties  being  more 
often  accessories  to  a  day's  mallard  shooting. 

The  majority  of  these  birds,  like  the  other  water- 
fowl, go  north  to  nest,  but  many  remain  in  the  United 
States,  and  were  the  spring  shooting  prohibited  and 
the  parks  or  refuges  which  I  have  so  often  urged 
established,  enough  of  these  beautiful  fowl  would  be 
saved  to  preserve  the  race,  and  the  overflow  to  the 
open  streams  and  lakes,  and  especially  to  the  properly 
regulated  shooting  preserves  of  the  country,  would 
continue  to  furnish  sport  and  food  for  all  time  to 
come. 

Herbert  Job  found  the  mallards  breeding  in  North 
Dakota  in  June,  and  secured  an  excellent  photograph 
of  the  nest.  I  saw  many  young  mallards  on  the  ponds 
and  small  lakes  in  the  Devil's  Lake  region  of  that 
State,  which  were  unable  to  fly  in  August  and  must  of 
course  have  been  bred  there.  On  the  reservation  of 
the  Cut  Head  Sioux  there  are  hundreds  of  small  lakes, 
and  the  Cheyenne  River,  like  a  big  winding  slough, 
forms  its  southern  boundary.  Here  is  one  of  the  best 
places  in  the  country  for  a  refuge  for  the  ducks,  and 
where  the  experiment  of  so  preserving  them  might  be 
tried  at  small  expense. 

I  found  the  mallards  tremendously  abundant  in  the 


THE   MALLARD  211 

marshes  about  the  Kankakee,  and  used  to  shoot  them 
there,  going  out  from  George  Green's,  a  famous  resort 
on  English  Lake.  These  grounds  are  now  owned  by 
the  English  Lake  Club,  composed  largely  of  Chicago 
gentlemen.  Upon  my  first  visit  to  English  Lake,  I 
shot  many  mallards,  but  did  not  do  so  well  as  others, 
since  I  wandered  far  and  wide,  cruising  with  a  punter 
through  the  drowned  forests,  and  out  into  the  sloughs 
and  ponds  of  the  vast  marshes  of  wild-rice,  and  often 
when  in  the  blind  the  mallards  got  the  best  of  me, 
sailing  swiftly  by  while  I  sat  and  gazed  upon  the 
wondrous  beauties  of  the  scene.  Without  much  diffi- 
culty, however,  I  could  easily  put  several  dozen  mal- 
lards in  the  boat,  and  wood-duck,  teal,  red-heads, 
spoon-bills,  and  all  the  other  ducks  often  contributed 
to  the  bag.  The  day  of  my  arrival,  Colonel  Harris,  a 
well-known  sportsman  from  Cincinnati,  came  in  with 
over  fifty  mallards  in  his  boat,  and  next  day  did  as 
well.  Other  boats,  with  men  I  did  not  know,  came 
loaded  to  the  guards  and  some  would  barely  float. 
One  day,  as  we  entered  the  great  north  marsh,  our 
coming  disturbed  the  ducks  and  there  must  have  been 
millions  of  mallards  in  the  air.  The  whole  great 
marsh  seemed  to  rise  up  with  a  roar  and  the  water 
dropping  from  the  ducks  looked  like  heavy  rain.  The 
sun  shone  brightly  on  the  sea  of  emerald  heads,  so 
numerous  as  to  almost  obscure  the  sky,  and  I  sat  dum- 
founded  and  amazed. 

**  Shoot,  man  !  Shoot !  "  the  punter  cried,  and,  when 
I  fired,  a  single  green-head  climbed  higher  at  the  first 
discharge  and  at  the  second  shot  came  down.  The 
wary    birds  all    went   off  and   settled  in   some  ponds 


212  WILD-FOWL 

where  the  punter  said  they  were  safe  from  harm  by 
reason  of  the  deep  mud  and  shallow  water. 

Thousands  of  mallards  are  killed  each  year  on  the 
marshes  about  the  Illinois  River,  and  in  the  Southern 
swamps.  They  are  still  extremely  abundant  at  times 
in  the  ponds  of  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  and  the  Dakotas, 
and  in  the  tule  marshes  of  California,  but  any  one 
who  observes  these  birds  at  all  will  notice  the  rapid 
diminution  year  by  year.  I  know  of  places  where  I 
used  to  have  good  shooting  where  the  appearance  of 
a  single  duck  to-day  would  cause  surprise.  An  army 
of  guns  would  no  doubt  at  once  take  the  field  to 
circumvent  it. 

The  records  at  the  Lake  Erie  group  of  clubs  show 
that  the  mallards  have  always  been  the  most  common 
variety,  excepting  possibly  the  teal  and  the  canvas- 
back.     The  record  of  the  Winous  Point  Club  shows : 

Canvas-backs.  Mallards.  Blue-Wing  Teal. 

1880 665  Ij3I9                  2,110 

1885  .  .. 237  943                  1,019 

1890 697  394                     603 

1895 72  218                       21 

1900 I  232                         o 

The  score  for  1900  is  unimportant,  since  the  Ohio 
Legislature  (influenced  it  has  been  said  by  the  irate 
gunners  who  object  to  the  exclusive  game  preserve) 
passed  a  law  prohibiting  the  shooting  of  all  ducks 
until  November  loth.  The  marshes  were  frozen  over 
two  days  later,  when  the  ducks  all  left,  except  the 
blue-wing  teal,  and  these,  of  course,  had  gone  a  month 
pr  more  before, 


THE  MALLARD  213 

Mr.  Thompson,  of  Oregon,  in  a  recent  article  in 
Outing,  says:  "  The  mallard  (Anas  boschas)  is  per- 
haps the  favorite  of  all  duck-hunters  in  the  far  West 
as  well  as  elsewhere.  It  sometimes  nests  along  the 
Columbia,  though  ordinarily  it  goes  farther  north. 
Like  the  teal  it  has  its  favorite  feeding  haunts  morning 
and  evening,  and  its  favorite  resting  places,  usually 
during  the  middle  of  the  day,  in  the  middle  of  some 
large  slough  far  out  of  range.  To  some  extent,  how- 
ever, its  movements  can  be  controlled  by  feeding." 

The  most  familiar  method  of  shooting  mallards  is 
over  decoys.  The  best  places  are  shallow,  muddy, 
and  somewhat  inaccessible  ponds  in  the  vast  marshes 
of  wild-rice.  Mr,  Denny,  of  Pittsburgh,  recently  had 
little  difficulty  in  making  a  bag  of  one  hundred  and 
four  mallards  in  such  a  pond,  "the  little  mud  hole," 
on  the  preserve  of  the  Ottawa  Club  in  Northern  Ohio. 
The  bag  was  made  during  the  morning  flight. 

Upon  approaching  the  place  where  the  decoys  are 
to  be  set  out,  the  ducks  which  are  feeding  in  the  pond 
will  all  fly  out.  The  sportsman  of  experience  will  not 
shoot  them  then,  no  matter  how  tempting  the  shot 
may  be.  He  knows  that  ducks  can  reason  well  and 
that  if  they  are  shot  at  as  they  depart,  they  will  be 
less  inclined  to  return  again,  and  a  shot  at  such  a  time 
is  a  notice  of  the  danger  to  all  the  ducks  which  have 
been  feeding  in  the  pond  or  slough. 

After  all  the  ducks  have  gone  without  unnecessary 
alarm,  the  decoys  are  quickly  placed,  usually  before  a 
blind  already  made,  and  at  the  club  preserves  at  places 
where  the  ducks  \v2Nq  been  baited  with  corn  and  wheat 
by  the   gamekeepers   long   before   the  season   opens. 


214  WILD-FOWL 

Soon  the  mallards,  under  the  impression  that  their 
alarm  was  false,  begin  to  return  singly  or  in  pairs, 
often  in  good-sized  flocks,  and  as  they  come  the  eager 
birds,  seeing  the  well-made  counterfeits  on  the  water, 
sail  over  the  pond  head  up  to  the  wind,  and  spreading 
out  their  tails  to  break  their  speed,  drop  with  flapping 
wings  to  the  water  below.  As  they  settle  down  within 
easy  range  they  are  not  hard  to  hit,  but  at  the  shot 
mallards  ''climb"  rapidly,  and  the  novice  must  remem- 
ber to  shoot  high  and  forward  if  he  would  bring  them 
down.  It  is  an  exciting  moment  when  a  flock  of  these 
large  green-heads  comes  with  a  rush  of  wings  to  settle 
before  the  blind.  The  good  shot  will  take  them  as 
they  come  and  go,  and  not  shoot  them  on  the  water. 
At  times  some  travelling,  or  trading,  birds  will  test  the 
skill  of  the  sportsman  far  more  than  those  which  notice 
the  decoys.  That  talented  English  writer,  Stuart- 
Wortley,  says  he  once  fired  aiming  the  length  of  a 
church  ahead  of  passing  flock  to  see  the  hindmost  one 
fall  dead. 

Mallards  are  very  fond  of  acorns,  and  in  the  over- 
flow fine  shooting  is  often  had  about  the  Western 
rivers  in  the  woods.  I  have  shot  them  among  the  oaks 
from  a  boat  concealed  by  brush  and  branches,  and 
have  jumped  them  on  a  cruise  about  the  marshes  and 
the  sloughs. 

When  the  birds  resort  to  the  open  water  for  their 
noon-time  siesta  they  should  not  be  disturbed.  Bat- 
teries are  sometimes  anchored  on  such  grounds  and 
on  feeding  grounds  as  well,  but  their  use  is  most 
destructive  and  will  drive  the  unslain  birds  away. 

Robert  Roosevelt  said  some  years  ago:  "  In  station- 


THE   MALLARD  215 

ing  a  battery,  that  imitation  coffin — which  should  be  a 
veritable  one,  if  justice  had  its  way,  to  every  man  who 
enters  it — and  in  lying  prone  in  it  through  the  cold 
days  of  winter,  the  market-man  may  find  his  pecuniary 
profit,  but  the  gentleman  can  receive  no  pleasure; 
while  the  permanent  injury  inflicted  by  driving  away 
the  ducks  from  their  feeding  grounds  and  making  them 
timorous  of  stopping  at  all  in  waters  from  any  and  all 
portions  of  which  unforeseen  foes  may  arise,  is  ten 
times  as  great  as  the  temporary  advantage  gained ;  and 
as  for  calling  that  sport  which  is  merely  the  wearisome 
endurance  of  cold  and  tedium  to  obtain  game  that 
might  be  killed  more  handsomely,  and  in  the  long  run 
more  abundantly  by  other  methods,  is  an  entire  mis- 
application of  the  word.'* 

In  shooting  mallards  a  dog  is  quite  necessary — a  re- 
triever of  course.  The  water-spaniel,  or  the  Chesa- 
peake Bay  dogs,  are  the  best.  A  wounded  mallard 
will,  without  a  dog,  most  often  escape  by  skulking 
and  hiding  in  the  grass.  A  good  retriever  should  lie 
down  in  the  boat  or  blind  and  remain  motionless  un- 
til ordered  to  retrieve.  I  have  often  observed  the 
bright  eye  of  one  of  these  intelligent  animals  observ- 
ing ducks  when  they  were  far  away  and  before  I  had 
discovered  them.  They  take  great  delight  in  the 
sport  and  endure  much  hardship  and  are  deserving  of 
the  best  of  care ;  a  dog-coat  or  blanket  when  the  day 
is  done,  another  to  lie  upon  when  they  come  in  from 
the  freezing  water. 

Their  fine  noses  enable  them  to  follow  and  secure 
the  birds  which  hidS  in  the  grass.  They  swim  rapidly 
and  overtake  the  wounded  on  the  open  water.     They 


2i6  WILD-FOWL 

are  something  of  a  nuisance  as  they  come  dripping 
wet  into  a  boat  and  proceed  to  shake  the  icy  water  all 
over  one,  but  it  has  been  well  said  it  is  unreasonable 
to  ask  the  "  devoted  but  shivering  creature  that  he 
should  remain  standing  in  the  freezing  water  or  upon 
the  damp  sedge." 

The  mallards  have  been  reported  as  very  abundant 
in  California  within  the  past  year  or  two.  In  a  San 
Francisco  paper  it  was  stated  that  the  farmers  in 
Glenn  County  were  employing  men  to  herd  them  off 
their  sprouting  grain,  and  were  slaughtering  vast  num- 
bers of  the  birds,  which  were  allowed  to  stay  on  the 
ground  where  they  fell.  Such  abundance  will  be  of 
short  duration,  however,  if  history  repeats  itself,  as  on 
this  point  it  always  has. 

The  sportsman  who  goes  to  shoot  mallards  (and  the 
other  ducks  as  well)  must  make  an  early  start.  He  is 
often  on  the  ground  at  the  break  of  day.  There  is 
compensation  always  for  early  rising  in  the  scene. 
The  gorgeous  panorama  which  attends  the  change 
from  star-lit  night  to  the  broad  light  of  day  is  best 
seen  in  the  marshes  and  at  sea. 

The  sleepy-heads  who  linger  in  the  town  are  un- 
aware of  the  pictures  which  the  mallard  shooter  sees. 
These  are  always  charming,  ever  new,  sometimes  sim- 
ple, but  often  sublime.  The  weather  effects  which  a 
painter  knows  are  seen  best  in  the  vast  marshes  where 
the  mallards  dwell. 

The  attendant  will  conduct  the  sportsman  to  the 
most  likely  places,  but  I  have  often  enjoyed  the  trip 
alone  or  in  company  with  a  friend  who  also  punted  his 
own  boat  and  set  his  own  decoys.     I  have  thoroughly 


THE  MALLARD  217 

enjoyed  a  trip  about  the  marshes,  wandering  here  and 
there  through  the  innumerable  water  streets  and  lanes 
before  the  season  opened  and  without  a  gun.  Last 
season,  while  I  was  sketching  in  the  marshes  of  the 
Ottawa  preserve,  the  mallards  were  quite  tame.  At 
one  little  pond  a  punter  preceded  me  and  scattered 
the  corn  for  their  daily  meal,  and  shortly  after  he  had 
gone  the  ducks  began  to  return.  I  had  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  study  them  and  figure  out  imaginary 
shots.  First  came  a  wary  black-  or  dusky-duck,  over- 
eager  for  the  well-known  bait.  With  a  rush  of  wings 
he  barely  missed  my  head  and  dropped  into  the  pond. 
There  he  sat  immovable,  with  his  head  held  high, 
looking,  listening,  determined  to  detect  a  danger  if 
any  should  be  there.  I  was  but  partially  concealed, 
but  the  corduroy  was  well  in  tone  with  the  faded  flags 
and  reeds  and  I  remained  as  motionless  as  the  wary 
duck  but  a  few  feet  away.  Soon  his  partners  came,  a 
little  band  followed  by  the  mallards  singly,  in  small 
companies  and  in  flocks,  all  circling  once  about  and 
heading  to  the  wind.  When  at  full  speed  down  went 
the  brakes,  their  widely  spreading  tails,  and  tipping 
sideways,  flapping,  they  dropped  into  the  pond.  All, 
like  the  black-duck,  sat  "attention"  and  I  dared  not 
wink  an  eye.  The  tempting  grain  was  all  about,  and 
at  last  the  ducks  did  the  preening  which  seems  neces- 
sary to  precede  the  meal  and  soon  were  rapidly  devour- 
ing the  grain.  A  friend  at  another  pond  had  cameras 
instead  of  guns,  and  when  we  met  at  night  he  had  thor- 
oughly enjoyed  the  day.  A  hawk  had  pounced  upon 
one  of  his  decoys,  aftd  sinking  his  talons  well  into  the 
wood  had  carried  it  a  long  way  off.     A  snap-shot  told 


2i8  WILD-FOWL 

the  tale.  I  was  convinced  by  my  experience  of  that 
day  that  the  entire  absence  of  motion  in  the  shooter 
was  more  important  than  perfect  concealment.  After 
I  had  observed  the  ducks  for  a  long  time  (they  were 
very  near)  1  made  the  slightest  movement  of  one  hand, 
when  with  loud  quacks  they  all  sprang  into  the  air 
and  in  an  instant  were  out  of  sight. 

Upon  one  occasion,  when  shooting  with  the  Indian 
agent  at  the  Cut  Head  Sioux  agency,  we  found  the 
mallards  at  evening  flying  from  one  small  lake  to  an- 
other, and  just  as  the  sun  went  down  we  began  to 
shoot.  It  was  a  cloudy  evening,  and  the  sun  set  red 
behind  large  blue-black  masses  of  cloud,  so  that  it  was 
too  dark  to  shoot  shortly  after  the  sun  disappeared. 
After  a  dozen  or  more  shots  a  tight  shell  stopped 
my  shooting  for  a  time,  but  we  recovered  in  the  dark 
some  thirty  mallards,  which,  however,  by  no  means 
represented  the  number  slain.  The  birds  flew  swiftly, 
and  at  times  I  believe  an  expert  ball  player  could  have 
done  well  with  a  bat. 

Mallards  in  the  West  often  resort  to  the  corn-fields, 
and  they  may  be  shot  on  a  pass  as  they  travel  into  and 
out  of  the  fields,  but  the  better  way  is  to  seek  the  pond 
in  the  corn-fields,  or  puddle  of  water  they  are  using 
and  shoot  them  over  the  decoys. 

I  have  shot  mallards  from  horseback,  riding  along 
the  banks  of  a  Western  stream,  and  jumping  them  from 
the  water  and  the  grouse  from  the  shore.  I  have  shot 
them  in  the  shallow  Western  lakes,  by  wading  just  out- 
side the  tall  band  of  sedge  which  grew  about  the  shore. 
I  have  shot  them  from  a  boat  and  pass,  but  the  most 
mallards  will  be  secured  when  shooting  over  decoys. 


THE   MALLARD  219 

A  duck-call  is  often  used,  which  may  be  purchased 
in  the  stores.  The  punter  will  often  better  imitate  the 
quack.  A  good  call  will  aid  to  bring  the  wild  birds 
down.     A  bad  one,  however,  is  worse  than  none. 

I  once  bought  one  which  proved  a  fine  source  of 
amusement,  but  not  of  profit.  At  every  quack  the 
ducks  jumped  a  thousand  feet  or  more  straight  up 
into  the  air. 

I  used  occasionally  to  spring  it  on  a  friend  to  see  if 
I  could  improve  his  shooting. 


XXXIII 

THE   DUSKY   DUCKS 

T^HE  dusky  duck,  or  black-duck,  often  called  black- 
^  mallard  in  the  West,  the  Canard  noir  of  Louisi- 
ana, is  found  throughout  Eastern  North  America 
from  Labrador  to  Florida,  where  it  is  replaced  by  a 
similar  bird  called  by  the  ornithologists  the  mottled- 
duck.  These  birds  are  so  much  alike  that  the  differ- 
ence may  be  regarded  as  local  or  climatic,  and  for  the 
sportsman  they  are  one  and  the  same.  One  who 
shoots  in  Florida  may  notice  that  the  mottled-duck 
differs  from  his  dusky  relation  in  having  the  cheeks 
streaked  with  brown  instead  of  being  plain  buff,  and 
the  speculum  or  spot  of  metallic  color  on  the  wings  is 
said  to  be  purple'  instead  of  green.  As  already  ob- 
served, however,  these  metallic  colors  are  often  inter- 
changeable in  different  lights,  and  unless  the  sports- 
man's attention  was  specially  called  to  them  he  would 
not  notice  the  differences. 

The  black-duck  closely  resembles  the  mallard  in  its 
habits,  and  the  quack  of  the  one  might  be  mistaken  for 
that  of  the  other.  The  quack  of  the  green-head  of  the 
barn-yard  is  the  quack  of  the  mallard  and  dusky  duck, 
and  the  tame  ducks  make  excellent  decoys.  The 
dusky  ducks  are  quite  common  in  the  Mississippi 
River  valley,  and  are  said  to  breed  from  Maine  to 
Texas.     I  saw  a  fine  flock  in  captivity  not  long   ago 


THE   DUSKY   DUCKS  221 

which  were  captured  by  the  barber  at  the  Star  Island 
hotel  on  the  St.  Clair  flats,  and  the  birds,  though  full- 
grown,  were  quite  tame  and  not  alarmed  at  my 
approach.  There  are  usually  eight  or  ten  eggs.  I 
have  shot  the  black-ducks  on  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and 
as  far  west  as  Wisconsin.  I  often  killed  a  few  of  them 
when  mallard  shooting  on  the  marshes  about  the 
Kankakee  in  Indiana. 

Their  flight  is  rapid,  very  similar  to  that  of  the 
mallard,  and  the  quickly  repeated  wing  beats  are  the 
same. 

I  learned  two  lessons  shooting  at  these  swiftly  flying 
marks.  Two  travelling  birds,  one  flying  several  yards 
behind  the  other,  passed  my  boat  on  the  open  water  of 
Fox  Lake,  and  shooting  well  ahead  of  the  leading  bird 
I  saw  his  mate  fall  dead.  My  second  lesson  occurred 
a  moment  later  when  I  went  head  foremost  into  the  icy 
waters  of  the  lake.  The  light  duck-boat  was  drifting 
gently  with  the  breeze.  I  stood  up  to  load  a  muzzle- 
loading  gun.  A  tuft  of  grass,  or  other  small  obstruc- 
tion, stopped  the  treacherous  craft,  it  tipped  a  time  or 
two  and  I  was  out.  I  tried  several  times  to  get  in  over 
the  side  and  as  often  filled  the  little  boat  with  water, 
and  had  to  bail  it  out,  but  finally  climbed  the  end  and 
was  quickly  at  the  oars.  My  friend,  whose  gun  was 
booming  a  mile  away,  fortunately  had  the  proper 
remedy  for  cold,  and  leaving  him  I  pulled  strongly  for 
the  shore.  Before  the  club-house  fire  I  soon  was 
warm  again,  and  ready  to  return  to  the  shooting. 
Great  care  is  necessary  in  standing  in  frail  boats. 

The  flesh  of  the  Ijlack  mallard  is  usually  not  so  good 
as  that  of  the  other  river-ducks.     The  duck  does  not 


222  WILD-FOWL 

come  as  readily  to  the  decoys.  It  is  a  wild  and  wary 
bird,  one  of  the  most  suspicious  of  all  the  water-fowl, 
always  on  the  look-out  for  an  enemy  and  said  to  have 
a  keen  scent  which  warns  it  from  the  danger  lurking 
in  the  blind.  If  ducks  detect  an  enemy  by  means 
of  the  sense  of  smell,  smoking  in  the  blinds  should  be 
given  up.  The  dusky  duck  may  be  said  to  resemble 
the  female  mallard,  but  is  darker. 

Black-ducks  are  somewhat  nocturnal  in  their  habits, 
and  often  when  disturbed  in  the  morning  fly  far  out  on 
the  open  water,  where  they  spend  the  day  and  return 
again  at  night  to  feed. 

One  evening,  after  an  unsuccessful  day  with  the 
scaups  and  red-heads,  my  bayman  at  Shinnecock  asked 
if  I  would  remain  out  on  the  beach  at  night  and  shoot 
the  black-ducks  as  they  came  in  to  feed.  The  bay  had 
been  full  of  them  in  the  morning,  but  they  all  took 
wing  when  far  out  of  range  and  retired  to  the  ocean. 
The  moon  was  full.  As  it  arose  it  seemed  light  enough 
to  shoot  by.  We  sailed  away  for  the  outer  beach  and 
concealed  ourselves  without  difficulty.  Shortly  the 
ducks  began  to  come.  We  heard  the  nasal  quack — 
quack — quack  at  intervals  as  they  flew  in  from  the 
ocean  long  before  we  could  see  them.  As  they  passed 
swiftly  over  the  beach  they  were  in  sight  for  a  moment 
and  again  disappeared  in  the  half-light  on  the  bay. 
The  shooting  was  extremely  difficult  I  could  only 
see  the  birds  as  they  passed  between  me  and  the  moon. 
After  several  misses  a  snap-shot  caught  a  single  bird 
just  as  he  passed  en  silhouette  before  the  silver  orb, 
and  down  he  fell  upon  the  beach.  A  few  more  birds 
were  shot,  but  many  shells  were  wasted  in  the  dark. 


THE   DUSKY   DUCKS  223 

And  then  the  bayman  came  with  a  heavy  bunch  of 
ducks  which  he  had  shot.  It  was  getting  late.  We 
sailed  away. 

Night  shooting  is  now  prohibited  by  law  in  many 
States,  as  it  should  be.  The  temptation,  however,  is 
great,  I  must  admit,  to  shoot  at  these  birds  after  dark, 
when  they  f\y  away  early  in  the  morning,  arising  out 
of  range,  and  do  not  return  until  after  sundown.  Mr. 
Tallett,  however.  President  of  the  Jefferson  County 
(N.  Y.)  Sportsman's  Association,  referring  to  the  fact 
that  some  sportsmen  still  contend  that  night  is  the 
proper  time  to  shoot  black-ducks,  asserting  that  they 
are  night  feeders  and  can  only  be  shot  successfully  at 
that  time,  says :  "  My  experience  has  been  that  in  no 
way  can  the  black-duck  be  driven  from  a  favorite  feed- 
ing-place quicker  than  by  night  shooting,  and  I  believe 
that  if  night  shooting  were  allowed  in  this  county  a 
large  part  of  the  birds  we  now  have  would  be  driven 
away."  Mr.  Tallett  further  says:  "  Upon  the  stopping 
of  the  spring  shooting  in  this  county  the  black-ducks 
remained  to  breed,  and  those  sportsmen  who  know  the 
habits  of  the  black-duck  and  its  extreme  wariness  can 
judge  of  the  number  we  have  when  I  say  that  during 
the  first  week  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  black-ducks 
were  killed,  and  all  were  killed  in  broad  daylight,  as 
the  shooting  after  sunset  is  prohibited  in  this  county." 

Mr.  Tallett,  referring  to  spring  shooting,  says: 
"This  letter  is  not  written  for  the  purpose  of  induc- 
ing the  rest  of  the  State  to  stop  the  spring  shooting 
of  wild-fowl.  It  is  a  matter  of  indifference  to  us.  If 
you  do  not  want  the  birds,  drive  them  up  here.  We 
know  a  good  thing  when  we  have  it." 


224  WILD-FOWL 

Black-ducks  have  begun  to  breed  in  large  numbers 
on  the  grounds  of  two  of  the  Currituck  clubs  which 
prohibit  shooting  after  January  25th,  and  the  editor  of 
Outing  has  well  said  :  "  It  lies  in  the  power  of  these 
wealthy  organizations  to  do  vast  good  and  go  far  tow- 
ard repairing  the  harm  done  by  negligent  legislatures 
and  recreant  executives." 


XXXIV 

THE  TEAL 

THE  teal  are  the  smallest  of  the  wild-fowl.  There 
are  three  varieties  common  to  North  America — 
the  blue-winged  teal,  the  green-winged  teal,  and  the 
cinnamon-teal,  all  named  from  their  color-markings, 
the  two  former  from  the  wings,  the  latter  from  the 
prevailing  color  of  the  bird,  which  is  a  rich  brown  or 
cinnamon.  They  are  all  very  handsome  on  the  water 
and  remarkably  graceful  in  the  air.  They  fly  with 
great  rapidity,  usually  in  flocks,  and  as  they  all  wheel 
together  their  color-markings  show  brightly  in  the 
sun.  They  are  all  splendid  table-birds,  and  the  blue- 
wing,  as  I  have  observed,  is  superior  to  the  far-famed 
canvas-back. 

We  are  inclined,  however,  to  enthusiastic  praise  of 
that  which  pleases  at  the  time.  On  one  occasion,  when 
shooting  with  some  officers  of  the  army,  it  turned  very 
cold  and  began  to  snow  early  in  the  afternoon,  and, 
since  the  ducks  were  not  flying  well,  I  left  my  blind 
without  waiting  for  the  ambulance  which  came  out 
each  evening  to  transport  us  to  the  camp.  Upon  my 
arrival  there  I  found  that  the  post  surgeon  had  pre- 
ceded me,  and  was  cooking  a  green-wing  teal,  which 
was  extremely  fat  fjom  feeding  on  wild-rice.  He  in- 
sisted upon  my  eating  it,  and  proceeded  to  prepare 

225 


226  WILD-FOWL 

another  for  himself.  The  bird  was  cooked  to  perlec- 
tion,  and  I  had  no  hesitation  in  pronouncing  it  the 
best  duck  I  ever  ate.  The  blue-wing,  however,  never 
has  the  sedge-taste  which  the  green-wing  has  some- 
times, and  may  fairly  be  regarded  as  the  best  duck 
that  flies. 

A  distinguished  ornithological  writer  in  a  recent 
work  thus  said  :  ''  I  know  of  no  better  bird  for  the 
table  than  a  blue-winged  teal  fattened  upon  wild-rice." 
But  in  the  same  book,  speaking  of  the  canvas-back, 
he  says:  "There  is  no  duck  save,  perhaps,  the  red- 
head, that  can  equal  this  splendid  species  in  the  del- 
icate quality  of  its  flesh."  And  again  :  **  The  flesh  of 
the  red-head,  when  it  has  been  feeding  upon  wild 
celery  and  such  dainty  food,  for  tenderness  and  flavor 
is  excelled  by  no  other  duck." 

Although  somewhat  conflicting,  we  find  here  high 
praise  for  all. 

The  blue-wings  and  green-wings  are  found  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  Coast,  the  former  more  abun- 
dant in  the  Eastern  and  Central  States,  and  especially 
so  in  the  Mississippi  valley.  The  cinnamon-teal  is  dis- 
tinctly a  Western  bird,  although  it  has  been  known  to 
go  as  far  eastward  as  Florida.  Such  occurrences,  as 
Elliot  says,  are  rare  and  are  to  be  regarded  in  the 
same  light  as  would  be  the  appearance  of  some  Euro- 
pean species.  The  blue-winged  teal  are  among  the 
first  ducks  to  arrive  from  the  North,  and  usually  come 
to  the  Northern  States  as  early  as  September.  They 
do  not  like  the  cold,  and  are  among  the  first  to  leave 
for  the  South.  Many  of  the  teal  remain  to  nest  in  the 
marshes  of  the  Northern  States  whenever  they  are  not 


THE   TEAL  227 

too  much  persecuted.  In  the  South,  upon  the  club 
preserves  at  Currituck,  where  spring  shooting  has 
recently  been  stopped,  Mr.  Whitney,  of  Outing,  says 
teal  have  begun  to  breed  in  large  numbers.  A  special 
law  prohibiting  spring  shooting  in  Jefferson  County, 
New  York,  was  followed  by  the  same  result.  These 
facts  sufficiently  demonstrate  the  benefits  to  be  de- 
rived from  club  rules  and  State  laws  prohibiting  the 
shooting  of  wild-fowl  in  the  spring.  Not  only  teal 
but  wood-ducks,  mallard,  and  dusky- ducks  nested  in 
Jefferson  County. 

I  have  always  regarded  the  teal  as  among  the  best 
of  all  the  game  birds.  They  fly  with  wonderful  rapid- 
ity, present  most  difficult  marks,  and  are  more  easily 
transported  than  the  larger  birds. 

I  have  had  fine  sport  with  teal  on  many  marshes, 
have  shot  them  over  decoys,  jumped  them  in  the  wild- 
rice,  shot  them  when  flying  over  points  or  passes, 
followed  them  along  the  banks  of  many  rivers  and 
prairie  sloughs,  both  on  foot  and  in  the  saddle,  and 
have  made  large  bags  by  riding  an  Indian  pony  through 
the  tall  reeds  and  rushes  of  Western  lakes  and  ponds. 

Several  birds  are  often  killed  at  a  shot,  since  teal  fly 
quite  close  together  and  often  "  bunch "  when  the 
sportsman  rises  from  his  ambush.  Upon  one  occa- 
sion, when  on  the  march  with  an  army  outfit  in  the 
valley  of  the  Tongue  River,  Montana,  I  dropped 
behind  the  command  and  followed  the  windings  of  the 
stream,  in  the  hope  of  shooting  a  few  ducks  for  din- 
ner. While  fording  the  stream  my  pony  stopped  to 
drink  just  as  he  entered  it  and  a  large  flock  of  teal 
soon  appeared  flying  some  thirty  feet  above  the  water. 


228  WILD-FOWL 

Remaining  absolutely  motionless  until  the  birds  were 
directly  opposite,  I  quickly  raised  the  gun,  and  as  the 
birds  crowded  closely  together  fired  and  brought 
down  seven  with  my  two  barrels.  This  was  my  only 
shot  that  afternoon,  and  when  I  reached  our  camp  the 
captain  said  he  had  heard  my  gun,  and  asked  if  I  had 
his  duck  for  dinner.  I  promptly  produced  a  teal  from 
the  pocket  of  my  coat,  and  as  the  others  of  our  mess 
(there  were  six  in  all)  came  up,  I  presented  a  teal  to 
each,  taking  one  at  a  time  from  my  coat,  much  to  their 
amusement  and  satisfaction,  since  we  had  for  several 
days  been  dining  on  venison  and  bacon. 

I  doubt  if  I  could  have  done  as  well  with  any  other 
ducks  except  the  other  teal,  and  am  sure  I  could  not 
have  carried  them  in  the  pocket  of  my  coat.  Like 
other  ducks  the  teal  are  easier  marks  when  shot  over 
decoys,  but  when  under  full  headway,  passing  singly 
or  in  small  numbers  over  points,  I  can  imagine  no 
marks  more  difficult.  The  sportsman  accustomed  to 
shooting  over  dogs  will  miss  many  shots  at  teal  before 
he  bags  a  single  bird. 

After  some  days'  shooting  at  the  sharp-tailed  grouse, 
I  went  one  day  to  a  famous  duck-pass  in  North 
Dakota,  when  the  teal  were  flying  from  the  Devil's 
Lake  to  a  smaller  one  to  breakfast.  As  soon  as  I  had 
made  my  blind,  they  began  to  come  singly  and  in 
pairs,  sometimes  three  or  four  together  or  a  small 
flock,  and  although  they  came  in  quick  succession  and 
the  shooting  was  fast  enough  to  heat  the  gun,  I  be- 
lieve it  was  an  hour  or  more  before  I  killed  a  bird,  I 
was  almost  in  despair,  when  I  fired  at  a  passing  flock, 
holding  the  gun  a  yard  or  more  before  the  leading 


THE   TEAL  229 

birds,  and  at  the  report  a  single  teal,  some  distance 
behind  the  others,  fell  dead  upon  the  beach.  I  at 
once  began  shooting  long  distances  ahead  of  the  pass- 
ing ducks,  and  before  long  I  had  a  large  bag  of  birds. 

A  few  days  afterward  an  officer  from  the  garrison 
nearby,  a  good  shot  in  the  upland  fields  and  woods, 
went  with  me  to  my  duck-pass  to  shoot  at  teal.  We 
made  our  blinds  some  two  gun-shots  apart  and  soon 
began  to  shoot.  The  birds  came  rapidly  as  before,  and 
my  friend  gave  them  two  barrels  as  they  passed,  but 
was  entirely  out  of  ammunition  before  he  killed  a  bird. 
His  orderly  came  to  my  blind  for  shells,  and  with  them 
I  sent  a  message  to  shoot  three  times  as  far  ahead  as 
he  had  been  doing,  and  he  soon  was  killing  birds. 

One  morning,  when  shooting  larger  ducks,  three 
green-wing  teal  passed  my  blind,  flying  just  above  the 
water,  all  in  a  row  a  yard  or  more  apart.  Aiming 
well  ahead  of  the  leading  bird  I  saw  my  shot  strike 
the  water  well  behind  the  last,  and  of  course  they  all 
escaped. 

Teal  spring  from  the  ground  or  water  with  great 
rapidity  and  it  is  easy  to  miss  them  as  they  rise.  I 
once  saw  a  blue-wing  on  a  small  stream  in  Ohio,  which 
was  being  chased  about  on  the  water  by  a  flock  of 
tame  ducks,  who  scolded  him  and  annoyed  him  until 
he  finally  went  ashore  on  a  mud  bar  at  the  lower  end 
of  a  small  island,  overgrown  with  willows  and  much 
underbrush.  Letting  my  boat  drift  until  I  made  a 
landing  at  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  I  quietly 
stalked  the  teal  until  within  easy  range,  and  after 
observing  him  for  a*time,  stepped  out  from  the  cover 
of  the  trees,  when  he  sprang  into  the  air  and  I  missed 


230  WILD-FOWL 

him  with  both   barrels,  shooting  no  doubt  far  under 
him. 

I  found  the  cinnamon-teal  feeding  with  great  num- 
bers of  the  green-wings  on  the  Dakota  ponds,  and  one 
small  lake  was  always  so  full  of  teal  that  there  was 
hardly  room  for  more.  I  had  read  of  many  of  these 
birds  being  killed  at  a  single  shot,  and  having  noticed 
that  the  birds  which  used  this  pond  when  disturbed 
always  went  out  over  the  same  place  on  the  beach, 
made  arrangements  to  take  my  place  quietly  before 
daylight,  where  the  birds  would  pass  overhead,  to  see 
if  I  could  make  a  record  shot.  My  brother,  with  a 
repeating  gun,  approached  the  pond  on  the  other  side, 
and  as  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  see  opened  fire 
on  the  immense  flock,  which  arose  from  the  water  with 
a  noise  like  a  passing  train  and  headed  for  my  blind. 
Before  the  birds  came  in  range,  however,  they  all 
wheeled  to  the  right  and  passed  out  over  the  beach 
far  below  me.  I  was  perfectly  concealed,  but  the  teal 
no  doubt  had  heard  me  when  I  went  to  my  blind  and 
were  too  wary  to  pass  over  me.  Two  gad  walls  fol- 
lowing on  behind,  took  the  usual  course,  and  on  these 
I  made  a  double.  My  brother  with  his  five  shots  took 
heavy  toll  from  the  flock.  I  have  forgotten  now  just 
how  many  birds,  but  among  the  number  was  the  hand- 
some cinnamon.  One  day  I  found  the  teal  and  mal- 
lards feeding  in  a  reedy  pond  quite  near  the  Yellow- 
stone, and  riding  about  on  the  shallow  water  I  shot 
them  from  the  saddle.  The  birds  were  very  tame  and 
often  flew  but  a  short  distance  out  over  the  prairie, 
and  returned  again  to  feed.  The  shooting  was  quite 
rapid,  the  shots  were  easy  and  I  soon  had  a  fine  bag. 


THE  TEAL  231 

A  soldier  acted  as  my  retriever.  He  had  removed  his 
shoes  and  was  wading  about  leading  his  pony  and 
picking  up  the  birds,  when  we  discovered  some  horse- 
men on  a  distant  hill,  evidently  observing  us.  Think- 
ing they  were  Indians,  we  stopped  the  shooting  and 
beat  a  hasty  retreat  for  camp.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
appearance  of  the  orderly  with  his  ducks  and  his  shoes 
in  his  hands  as  we  galloped  across  the  plain.  It  was 
a  false  alarm,  however.  The  men  were  some  of  our 
own  troopers  who  had  gone  out  to  shoot  at  larger 
game.  It  was  too  late,  however,  when  we  learned  this 
to  return  to  the  ducks,  and  early  next  morning  we 
moved  our  camp. 

The  green-wing  teal  are  far  more  abundant  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  than  the  blue-wings.  They  come  later 
and  remain  longer. 

Mr.  Thompson,  writing  of  this  sport  in  Oregon,  says  : 
"  If  teal  are  abundant  and  '  come  '  just  right  even  an 
old  canvas-back  shooter  after  a  good  morning's  sport 
at  these  small  and  beautiful  birds,  is  almost  ready  to 
declare  that  there  can  be  no  finer  sport.  Of  course, 
each  season  will  not  bring  them  in  the  same  numbers, 
nor  are  they  found  everywhere.  They  seem  to  favor 
one  locality  more  than  another.  Usually,  however,  it 
is  possible  with  care  and  judicious  feeding  to  draw 
them  to  a  given  point;  at  times  they  are  very  abundant, 
recalling  the  stories  of  years  past  in  the  waters  of  the 
South.  At  one  small  lake,  one  of  the  best  places  along 
the  river  for  this  kind  of  ducks,  four  hunters  in  one 
day,  shooting  morning  and  evening,  made  a  record  of 
more  than  four  hun^lred  of  these  birds.  These  were 
all  killed  on  the  wing." 


232  WILD-FOWL 

The  blue-wing  teal  are  more  common  on  the 
marshes  of  the  Middle  States,  I  believe,  as  far  west 
as  Illinois,  Kansas,  and  Iowa.  On  the  Sandusky 
marshes  in  Ohio,  a  club  record  shows  each  year  more 
blue-wings  are  killed  than  green.  In  1881,  the  totals 
for  the  season  were  blue-wings,  1,646,  green-wings, 
441;  in  1885,  blue-wings,  1,019,  green-wings,  506;  in 
1890,  blue-wings,  603,  green-wings,  373;  in  1895,  blue- 
wings,  21,  green-wings,  99;  in  1899,  blue-wings,  255, 
green-wings,  184.  In  Dakota  and  on  the  Pacific  Coast 
these  figures  would  be  reversed. 

Much  that  has  been  said  as  to  the  method  of  capture 
of  the  other  ducks  applies  as  well  to  teal.  They  come 
well  to  decoys,  and  they  are  shot  in  the  same  way 
over  points.  They  are  jumped  in  the  wild  rice  and 
shot  from  a  moving  boat. 

In  the  winter  thousands  of  teal  are  shot  in  the  rice- 
fields  in  the  South,  and  they  are  probably  nowhere 
more  abundant  than  in  Louisiana  and  Texas.  Another 
teal,  the  European  tea],  is  given  in  the  check-list.  This 
bird  is,  however,  only  an  occasional  visitor  to  our  East- 
ern shores,  and  is  seldom  shot  by  sportsmen. 


XXXV 

THE   WOOD-DUCK 

THE  wood-duck  is  the  most  beautiful  duck  in  the 
world.  Some  years  ago,  in  a  magazine  article, 
I  expressed  the  opinion  that  this  bird  was  more  beau- 
tiful than  the  mandarin  duck  of  China,  and  in  Elliot's 
recent  popular  ornithological  work  this  opinion  is  sus- 
tained. 

In  size  the  wood-duck  is  intermediate  between  the 
mallard  and  teal.  Its  head  is  dark  green,  reflecting 
purple  and  blue,  and  effectively  marked  with  white 
lines.  Its  back  is  dark  brown,  the  wing  coverts  are 
blue.  Its  breast  a  rich  chestnut,  dotted  with  white 
arrow-shaped  marks.  It  has  a  handsome  crest,  and 
Linnaeus  well  named  it  the  bride  (Sponsd).  It  has  been 
suggested,  however,  that  it  is  the  groom  that  is  beau- 
tiful. The  female,  as  in  most  water-fowl,  is  not  so 
handsome. 

The  wood-duck  is  known  in  many  localities  as  the 
summer  duck,  since  it  remains  and  breeds  in  many  of 
the  States,  and  the  migratory  birds  return  first  of  all  to 
the  northern  parts  of  the  United  States,  where  the 
shooting  is  best  in  August  and  September.  It  is 
designated  also  as  the  acorn  duck,  from  its  well- 
known  fondness  for  agorns. 

The  flight  of  the  wood-duck  is  swift  and  graceful, 

233 


234  WILD-FOWL 

and  it  goes  through  the  trees  with  the  speed  and  safety 
of  the  wood-grouse. 

The  summer  ducks  are  found  from  Hudson's  Bay  to 
the  Gulf,  and  are  abundant  in  the  Mississippi  valley  ; 
but  they  are  vanishing  more  rapidly  than  any  of  the 
other  ducks  in  all  parts  of  their  range.  I  have  referred 
to  the  bulletin  of  the  Agricultural  Department  which 
predicts  their  extermination. 

They  were  some  years  ago  extremely  abundant  in 
September  on  the  Sandusky  marshes  in  Ohio,  and 
about  the  Kankakee  in  Indiana,  and  the  Illinois  River 
in  Illinois.  I  have  often  shot  them  over  decoys  and 
jumped  them  in  the  wild-rice.  The  game  register  at 
the  Winous  Point  Club,  near  Sandusky,  shows  that 
hundreds  of  wood-ducks  were  killed  formerly  each 
season  on  that  preserve,  but  the  average  for  the  past 
ten  years  has  hardly  been  more  than  fifty  birds  per 
annum.  I  was  informed  that  within  the  past  year  or 
two  the  wood-ducks  were  somewhat  more  abundant 
than  they  were  five  years  ago,  but  the  register  does 
not  show  much  of  an  increase. 

At  English  Lake  I  shot  them  from  a  light  boat, 
jumping  them  in  the  wild  rice.  The  punter  pushed 
the  boat  (which  contained  a  revolving  office-chair  for 
the  gunner)  rapidly.  The  birds  often  arose  at  short 
range  and  presented  easy  marks.  They  w^ere  very 
abundant  on  the  Kankakee  at  certain  bends  in  the 
river,  where  they  fed  on  acorns  which  dropped  from 
the  oaks  into  the  water.  A  friend  one  day  killed  over 
seventy  of  these  birds  over  decoys,  and  I  often  made 
fairly  good  scores  shooting  from  a  blind,  but  my  fond- 
ness for  moving  about  and  exploring  the  marshes  and 


THE  WOOD-DUCK  23S 

ponds  for  other  ducks  and  a  change  of  scene  always 
prevented  my  making  very  large  bags. 

I  found  the  wood-ducks  abundant  in  the  little  lakes, 
sloughs,  and  marshes  near  Havana,  Illinois,  when  the 
shooting  was  open ;  but  all  the  good  duck  grounds  in 
that  vicinity  are  now  owned  by  clubs,  where  I  am 
afraid  the  shooting  is  often  over-done. 

The  wood-duck  is  always  a  splendid  table  bird,  and 
when  it  is  fattened  on  wild  rice  and  acorns  is  excep- 
tionally fine.  It  is,  however,  too  pretty  to  shoot.  It  is 
not  a  very  wild  duck,  comes  well  to  the  decoys,  and  is 
shot  as  it  flies,  over  passes,  to  the  streams  and  ponds. 
I  have  shot  them  on  small  streams  in  the  woods  in 
Ohio  when  partridge  shooting,  and  had  little  difficulty 
in  approaching  them  within  range  as  they  swam 
about. 

Many  thousands  are  killed  each  season  in  the  South- 
ern States,  and  since  they  come  first  of  all  the  ducks 
to  the  Northern  waters,  they  receive  the  first  fire  of 
eager  sportsmen  in  August  and  September,  and  the 
shooting  is  kept  up  as  they  move  southward  and  until 
they  have  paired  in  the  spring. 

The  wood-duck  builds  its  nest  in  trees  near  the  water, 
to  which  it  carries  the  young  before  they  are  able  to 
fly.  An  account  appeared  m  Forest  and  Stream  of  these 
beautiful  birds,  and  the  golden-eyes,  butter-balls,  and 
mergansers  being  driven  from  a  pond  in  the  vicinity 
of  which  they  nested,  by  the  introduction  of  pickerel, 
which  destroyed  the  young.  The  carp  also,  as  I  have 
said  elsewhere,  have  done  much  to  drive  ducks  away 
from  the  marshes  by  destroying  the  food. 


XXXVI 

OTHER   RIVER  DUCKS 

nr^HE  sprig-tail,  often  called  the  pin-tail  or  spike- 
-■-  tail  duck,  is  easily  distinguished  by  the  long 
slender  tail,  which  suggested  the  name.  It  is  found 
throughout  North  America,  migrating  like  the  others, 
from  the  North  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  arriving  in 
the  Northern  States  in  September  or  October.  It 
may  be  looked  for  shortly  after  the  appearance  of  the 
wood-duck  and  the  blue-winged  teal. 

Like  the  other  ducks  this  duck  is  not  so  abundant 
as  formerl}^  but  many  visit  the  Southern  States  each 
winter,  and  it  is  a  common  duck  in  the  middle  West 
and  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

In  the  spring  the  pin-tail  is  said  to  drum  like  the 
snipe,  arising  high  in  the  air  and  then  falling  suddenly 
when  a  loud  drumming  noise  is  produced  by  the 
wings.  This  is  a  most  remarkable  performance,  and 
the  reader  will  find  a  further  mention  of  it  in  the 
chapter  on  the  snipe  which  I  have  seen  when  drum- 
ming. 

The  pin-tail  is  found  in  the  same  marshes  with  the 
mallards,  and  is  often  shot  over  decoys  when  mallard- 
shooting.  It  is  one  of  the  best  table-ducks,  its  flesh 
being  uniformly  in  fine  condition. 

Mr.  Gumming,  a  San  Francisco  sportsman,  writing 
recently  for  a  Western  magazine,  says  the  sprig-tail 

236 


OTHER   RIVER   DUCKS  237 

arrive  in  California  about  October  ist,  and  are  there 
shot  from  blinds  made  on  the  banks  of  ponds  or 
sloughs.  The  blinds  are  usually  constructed  of  a  wine 
cask  or  a  large  dry-goods  box  sunk  in  the  ground  and 
concealed  by  attaching  tules  or  marsh  grass  to  the  top 
on  the  level  with  high  water.  The  decoys  are  placed 
but  a  short  distance  from  the  blind.  Mr.  Cumming 
regards  the  ''  sprig  "  as  the  most  wary  of  all  the  ducks, 
and  says  that  they  will  circle  round  the  pond  several 
times  beyond  the  reach  of  shot,  especially  if  they  have 
ever  heard  a  gun.  He  says  the  sprig-tail  is  equally 
delicious,  if  not  a  little  better  than  the  mallard. 

In  the  winter  many  of  these  birds  are  shot  on  the 
Southern  sounds  about  the  Atlantic  Coast  and  in  the 
marshes  throughout  the  Mississippi  valley  to  the 
Gulf.  I  have  shot  them  in  many  places  when  shoot- 
ing other  ducks,  but  observed  them  more  abundant  in 
North  Dakota  than  at  other  places  I  have  visited.  I 
often  shot  them  on  a  pass  between  the  lakes  as  they 
travelled  back  and  forth,  usually  without  the  aid  of 
decoys.  They  fly  swiftly,  but  when  they  are  shot  and 
fall  upon  the  water,  they  are  easily  recovered,  since  they 
cannot  dive  well.  On  land  and  in  the  marshes  they 
skulk  and  hide  with  great  skill,  and  are  often  lost  with- 
out the  aid  of  a  retriever. 

When  the  sportsman  arises  in  his  blind  the  pin-tails 
jump  high  in  the  air,  and  many  shots  are  missed  by 
shooting  under  them. 

THE  WIDGEON 

The  widgeon  is  another  handsome  duck,  well  known 
to  sportsmen  throughout  America  and  highly  prized 


238  WILD-FOWL 

on  account  of  the  delicacy  of  its  flesh,  which,  like  that 
of  the  other  dabbling  ducks,  is  always  in  fine  condi- 
tion. The  widgeon  is  more  often  called  the  bald-pate 
on  account  of  the  top  of  the  head  and  forehead  being 
white.  This  duck  is  somewhat  smaller  than  the  mal- 
lard, being  nineteen  inches  in  length  to  the  latter's 
twenty-two. 

The  widgeon  flies  swiftly,  usually  in  small  flocks. 
It  is  extremely  shy  and  wary,  and  has  been  said  to 
warn  other  ducks  by  its  whistling  sound. 

Although  the  widgeon  is  a  fresh-  or  shoal-water  duck, 
it  also  frequents  the  brackish  bays  and  sounds  about 
the  coasts,  where  it  associates  with  the  canvas-backs 
and  red-heads,  and  steals  their  food  in  the  manner 
already  described. 

I  shot  my  first  widgeon  many  years  ago  in  Southern 
Ohio  when  they  were  fairly  abundant  on  the  Ohio 
River  and  on  the  smaller  streams;  but  the  incessant 
shooting  at  the  ducks  has  so  diminished  their  numbers 
that  many  of  them  are  never  seen  in  places  where  I 
used  to  find  them  abundant. 

The  widgeon  breeds  as  far  south  as  Texas,  and  if 
laws  prohibiting  spring  shooting  were  passed  in  all 
the  States,  as  they  should  be,  these  birds  would  be 
especially  benefited  thereby.  They  are  very  hand- 
some birds.  Mr.  Thompson  says  the  widgeon  fur- 
nishes good  shooting  in  Oregon,  and  comes  readily 
to  decoys.  At  times  they  are  very  abundant.  The 
widgeon,  he  says,  seem  to  love  the  sunshine,  hence  the 
best  shooting  is  on  a  bright,  sunny  day. 


OTHER   RIVER   DUCKS  239 

THE   GADWALL 

The  gadwall  is  often  called  the  gray  duck,  on  ac- 
count of  its  gray  appearance,  and  gray  widgeon  from 
its  resemblance  to  that  bird.  The  females  of  the  widg- 
eon and  gadwall  are  much  alike  and  easily  mistaken. 
A  female  gadwall  which  was  shot  by  my  brother  when 
we  were  shooting  in  North  Dakota,  was  mounted  by  a 
taxidermist,  who  pronounced  it  a  widgeon. 

The  gadwall  is  found  throughout  North  America, 
but  is  not  as  common  anywhere  as  are  some  of  the 
other  fresh-water  ducks.  I  found  it  fairly  abundant 
in  North  Dakota  and  usually  shot  a  few  gadwalls 
with  the  other  ducks.  One  day  when  shooting  on  a 
little  pond  quite  near  the  Devil's  Lake,  I  shot  a  large 
number  of  ducks,  and  nearly  all  of  them  were  gadwalls. 
They  came  quite  rapidly  toward  evening,  and  stand- 
ing in  the  tall  rushes  without  much  effort  at  conceal- 
ment, I  had  some  very  rapid  shooting.  Far  out  on  the 
lake  the  swans  and  geese  were  trumpeting  and  honk- 
ing. Large  flocks  of  snow-geese,  or  white  brant,  as 
they  call  them  in  Dakota,  were  always  in  the  air,  and 
mallards,  sprig-tails,  teal,  and  all  the  ducks  were  flying 
everywhere;  but  the  gadwalls  were  the  only  ducks 
which  came  to  me  in  any  numbers.  Had  I  put  out 
only  gadwall  decoys,  there  might  have  been  a  reason 
for  this,  but  I  had  no  decoys  that  day  at  all.  In  fact 
the  ducks  were  always  so  abundant,  that  I  could  kill 
far  more  than  I  could  carry,  without  decoys,  and  an 
ambulance  from  the  garrison  came  out  to  carry  in  the 
game.  , 

The  gadwall  breeds  in  the  Northern  United  States. 


240  WILD-FOWL 

It  is  a  handsome  gray  bird  with  a  white  speculum  on 
the  wing.  It  is  fairly  abundant  in  the  tule  marshes 
in  California,  and  there,  as  elsewhere,  it  is  much  es- 
teemed as  a  table  delicacy. 

THE    SHOVELER 

The  shoveler  is  often  called  the  spoon-bill  from  its 
wide  bill,  by  which  it  is  easily  distinguished  from  all 
other  ducks.  It  is  not  common  on  the  Atlantic  Coast, 
but  is  abundant  in  the  Mississippi  valley.  It  comes 
to  the  United  States  in  the  autumn  with  the  other 
ducks,  but  some  remain  to  breed  throughout  the 
States,  even  as  far  south  as  Texas.  The  flocks  are 
larger  than  those  of  the  gadwall  or  widgeon;  the 
flight  is  said  to  resemble  that  of  the  teal,  but  they 
are  not  so  fast. 

The  spoon-bills  are  very  handsome  birds,  with 
bright  green  heads,  like  the  mallards.  They  come 
readily  to  decoys,  are  excellent  on  the  table  and  are 
easily  placed  among  the  best  of  the  fresh-water  wild- 
fowl. 

I  have  often  shot  the  spoon-bills  when  shooting 
other  ducks,  but  have  nowhere  seen  them  very 
abundant. 


XXXVII 

THE   MERGANSERS 

MERGANSERS,  or  spike-bill  ducks,  as  they  are 
often  called,  are  given  in  the  check-list  as  a  sepa- 
rate family  of  the  order  swimmers.  There  are  three 
species :  The  American  merganser,  the  red-breasted 
merganser,  and  the  hooded-merganser. 

These  birds  are  readily  distinguished  from  the 
ducks  by  their  slim,  serrated  spike-like  bills,  which  sug- 
gested the  names  saw-bill  and  spike-bill,  often  given 
them.  They  are  all  fish-eating  birds,  and  dive  and 
swim  rapidly  under  water  in  pursuit  of  small  fish, 
which  they  are  enabled  to  catch  with  their  sharp- 
edged  bills.  They  are  not  very  desirable  as  food,  and 
can  hardly  be  considered  game  birds,  but  they  are 
often  shot  by  sportsmen  when  in  pursuit  of  better 
fowls,  and  at  some  places  on  the  coast  large  flocks  of 
decoys  painted  to  resemble  these  birds  are  kept,  and 
spike-bills  are  shot  over  them. 

They  are  as  much  entitled  to  a  place  in  this  volume 
as  the  old  squaws  and  coots  already  described,  and  are 
about  as  difficult  to  dispose  of  when  shot. 

The  mergansers  are  all  very  handsome  birds,  and  as 
they  fly  swiftly  present  excellent  marks.  I  have  eaten 
them  when  cooked  by  the  wife  of  a  bayman  who  was 
fully  aware  of  the  difficulties  surrounding  their  prepa- 
ration, and  they  satisfied  the  appetite  which  we  had 

241 


242  WILD-FOWL 

after  a  stormy  day  on  the  bay.  When  canvas-backs 
and  mergansers  are  both  on  the  table,  however,  I  take 
the  former. 

THE  AMERICAN   MERGANSER 

Many  names  are  given  to  this  handsome  fowl — shel- 
drake, buff-breasted  sheldrake,  goosander,  saw-duck, 
and  sea  saw-bill,  are  the  most  familiar. 

Migratory,  like  the  ducks,  the  sheldrake  is  distri- 
buted throughout  North  America,  and  breeds  in  some 
of  the  Northern  States.  Like  the  wood-duck  it  builds 
its  nest  in  the  trees,  selecting  a  hole  which  often  seems 
too  small  to  admit  it.  It  flies  rapidly  and  comes  well 
to  the  decoys. 

This  bird  is  less  common  than  the  other  mergansers 
and  is  far  handsomer  than  any  of  them.  It  is  easily 
distinguished  by  its  black  head  with  iridescent  green 
reflections. 

I  have  shot  these  birds  now  and  then  when  duck- 
shooting,  but  have  more  often  spared  them,  for  the 
reason  that  they  are  not  worth  cooking  when  one  is 
shooting  ducks. 

Upon  one  occasion  a  very  handsome  specimen  flew 
up  from  the  water  before  my  boat  as  I  was  being 
punted  on  a  prairie  stream.  It  was  an  easy  mark 
going  straight  away,  but  at  the  crack  of  the  gun  the 
bird  dove  from  the  air  and  was  lost  to  sight  in  the 
stream.  I  was  under  the  impression  that  I  had  killed 
it,  but  as  the  punter  sent  the  boat  swiftly  forward  he 
cautioned  me  to  look  out  for  it,  and  it  soon  came  up 
and  was  in  the  air  again.  I  did  better  with  the  second 
barrel  and  the  bird  fell  dead   upon   the  water.     The 


THE   MERGANSERS  243 

rapidity  with  which  these  birds  dive  from  the  air  is 
most  remarkable  and  a  hawk  would  hardly  catch  one. 


THE   RED-BREASTED    MERGANSER 

This  bird  is  also  known  as  the  sheldrake,  fish-duck, 
saw-  and  spike-bill,  and  is  seen  more  frequently  on  the 
salt  water  than  is  the  preceding  species.  It  is  very 
common  on  the  brackish  bays  and  on  the  rivers  that 
flow  to  the  sea. 

This  merganser  is  found  throughout  North  Amer- 
ica, and  like  the  others  builds  its  nest  in  trees.  It 
feeds  exclusively  on  fish,  and  Elliot  describes  it  getting 
under  them  and  driving  them  to  the  surface,  where 
the  gulls  pounce  upon  them  and  between  the  two 
large  numbers  of  small  fish  are  destroyed. 

I  have  shot  them  several  times  over  decoys  on  Shin- 
necock  Bay  when  the  broad-bills  were  not  flying  well, 
and  one  day  made  quite  a  large  bag.  The  birds  were 
nearly  all  females,  however,  and  I  could  not  account 
for  this  at  first,  but  it  was  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
and  my  decoys  were  all  painted  to  represent  the  hand- 
somer males  and  this  no  doubt  accounted  for  my  bag- 
ging only  females. 

The  wife  of  the  bayman  at  whose  house  I  dined 
when  at  the  bay,  made  a  very  palatable  stew  of  the 
mergansers,  putting  in  potatoes,  onions,  and  perhaps 
other  vegetables,  of  which  I  partook  with  satisfaction 
after  long  days  of  exposure  on  the  bay.  As  the  ducks 
come  in  fewer  numbers  more  attention  is  paid  to  this 
bird,  and  as  a  mark  it  answers  every  purpose  and  often 
affords  good  shooting. 


244  WILD-FOWL 

THE    HOODED   MERGANSER. 

This  bird  is  much  smaller  than  the  others  and  is 
accordingly  often  referred  to  as  the  little  saw-bill, 
spike-bill,  and  pond  sheldrake.  The  male  is  remark- 
able for  its  beautiful  crest,  from  which  it  took  its  name. 

The  hooded  merganser  also  nests  in  trees.  It  flies 
very  swiftly,  being  nearly,  if  not  quite,  as  fast  as  a 
teal,  and  it  is,  of  course,  necessary  to  shoot  far  ahead 
of  it  to  hit  it. 

The  little  spike-bill  is  found  usually  on  ponds  and 
streams.  I  have  only  shot  them  occasionally  when 
shooting  better  game. 


BOOK   III 
SHORE    BIRDS    OR    WADERS 


xxxvin 

THE   SHORE   BIRDS   OR   WADERS 

BIRDS  of  the  shores,  or  wading-birds,  are  desig- 
nated by  the  ornithologists  as  LimicolcB,  liter- 
ally, inhabitants  of  the  mud.  A  number  of  these  birds, 
however,  inhabit  the  uplands,  preferring  grass-fields 
and  meadows  to  the  marshy  ponds  or  muddy  margins 
of  streams,  and  many  are  found  upon  the  sandy  shores 
of  the  ocean. 

As  we  consider  these  wading-birds  from  the  sports- 
man's point  of  view,  we  find  it  difficult  to  determine 
how  many  of  them  should  be  classed  as  game.  One  of 
the  best  of  all  the  birds,  the  magnificent  woodcock, 
heads  the  list.  There  is  a  gradual  decrease  in  size  and 
value  as  marks  from  the  large  curlews  until  we  have 
remaining  a  few  diminutive  birds,  such  as  peeps  and 
sanderlings,  thoroughly  undesirable  as  marks  and 
worthless  as  food.  We  cannot  take  size,  however,  as 
the  criterion,  since  some  of  the  smaller  shore  birds  are, 
like  the  diminutive  rail  and  reed-birds,  better  food  than 
some  of  the  larger.  The  kill-deer  plover,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  a  fair-sized  mark,  and  is  shot  often  by  sports- 
men, but  in  my  opinion  he  is  too  fishy  to  eat. 

Sportsmen,  however,  like  doctors,  differ.  Many,  no 
doubt,  will  continue  to  shoot  both  kill-deer  and  the 
smaller  marks,  which  should  be  left  to  pipe  and  whistle 
in  the  marsh  or  run  gracefully  from   the  waves   on 

247 


248      THE  SHORE   BIRDS  OR  WADERS 

sandy  beaches  and  follow  the  receding  water  in  their 
search  for  food.  The  woodcock  and  the  snipe  are 
shot  over  dogs.  The  method  of  capture  is  not  am- 
bush, but  pursuit  quite  similar  to  that  of  the  gallina- 
ceous birds.  The  upland  plover,  one  of  the  best  table 
birds  on  the  list,  is  also  taken  by  pursuit,  but  the 
sportsman  usually  approaches  the  birds  in  a  vehicle  or 
on  horseback,  without  the  aid  of  dogs,  since  the  birds 
rely  upon  flight  rather  than  concealment.  All  the 
other  shore-birds  are  taken  from  ambush,  and  are  shot 
over  decoys,  the  sport  having  much  resemblance  to 
that  of  duck  shooting.  The  weather  (late  summer 
weather)  for  this  sport  is,  however,  usually  fine,  quite 
different  from  the  severe  cold  and  rain,  snow  and  wind, 
when  duck  shooting  is  at  its  best.  The  shooting  of 
shore  birds  is  a  lazy  pastime,  not  to  be  compared  with 
the  tramp  across  fields  and  through  the  woods  behind 
the  thoroughbred  setters  and  pointers,  nor  with  the 
shooting  at  the  wary  swift-flying  ducks  on  the  marsh 
lands.  Forester  said  that  sportsmanship  proper  could 
not  be  said  to  belong  to  this  form  of  shooting,  unless 
(which  few  persons  do  except  the  professionals)  one 
make  and  set  out  his  own  stools,  paddle  his  own  canoe, 
and  whistle  his  own  birds. 

The  shore  birds  are  migrants.  As  the  geese,  brant, 
and  ducks  move  northward  in  the  spring,  they  are 
followed  by  the  waders,  familiarly  termed  bay-birds 
or  bay-snipe.  These  birds  nest  in  the  far  North, 
and  should  not  be  shot  in  the  spring,  when  their  visit 
is  of  short  duration.  They  return  late  in  the  summer, 
and  were  they  protected  in  the  spring  there  would  be 
a   vast  improvement  in   the   summer  and   early   fall 


THE  SHORE   BIRDS   OR  WADERS      249 

shooting.  The  bay-birds  are  found  not  alone  about 
the  shores,  bays,  and  salt-water  marshes,  but  most  of 
the  varieties  cross  the  interior  of  the  country.  I  have 
seen  them  in  great  abundance  in  the  Dakotas,  and 
they  are  probably  to  be  found  nowhere  in  greater 
abundance  than  there  and  in  Texas  at  the  proper  sea- 
sons. They  now  come  in  greatly  diminished  numbers 
to  the  Eastern  and  Central  States  by  reason  of  the 
over-shooting,  especially  for  the  markets.  They  are 
fortunately  protected  on  the  preserves  of  the  numerous 
duck  clubs,  and  when  the  ducks  are  present  are  not 
much  molested,  the  larger  game  being  more  attractive. 
The  number  of  these  birds  which  used  to  visit  the 
marshes  about  the  bays  of  the  Atlantic  Coast  seems 
almost  incredible.  Giraud  was  informed  by  a  gunner 
residing  in  the  vicinity  of  Bellport  that  he  killed  one 
hundred  and  six  yellow-legs  by  discharging  both  bar- 
rels of  his  gun  into  a  flock  while  they  were  sitting 
along  the  beach.  Wilson  mentions  eighty-five  red- 
breasted  snipe  being  killed  at  one  discharge  of  a  mus- 
ket. Audubon  says  he  was  present  when  one  hundred 
and  twenty-seven  were  killed  by  discharging  three 
barrels.  I  have  seen  the  birds  sufficiently  numerous 
about  the  muddy  rims  of  ponds  in  North  Dakota  to 
make  such  shots  possible,  but  always  preferred  to  shoot 
at  the  flying  marks.  I  never  made  a  pot-shot  on  the 
ground,  and  usually  left  the  wading-birds  undisturbed, 
preferring  to  use  my  ammunition  on  the  sharp-tailed 
grouse  and  wild-ducks,  which  were  equally  abundant. 
I  have  been  much  jnclined  to  eliminate  many  of  the 
shore-birds  from  my  list  of  game,  but  the  gradation 
from  the  better  to  the  poorer  varieties  is  so  slight  as  to 


250      THE  SHORE   BIRDS   OR   WADERS 

make  it  difficult  to  draw  the  line  of  exclusion.  The 
sportsmen  of  to-day  are  more  and  more  interested  in 
natural  history,  and  I  have  determined  therefore  to  in- 
clude all  the  shore-birds  in  my  commentary,  giving 
the  larger  space  to  those  which  are  well  deserving  of 
it,  and  but  a  brief  mention  to  those  which  the  sports- 
man should  not  molest.  These  would  soon  become 
tame  enough  to  furnish  a  proper  amusement  with  the 
camera. 

There  are  in  all  seventy-six  species  and  sub-species. 
The  ornithological  list  includes  seventeen  stragglers, 
or  accidental  visitors,  such  as  the  European  snipe  and 
woodcock.  There  are  five  sub-species  which  differ  so 
slightly  as  to  be  the  same  to  the  sportsman's  eye. 

The  order  Limicolce  contains  six  families  of  shore- 
birds.  These,  in  the  order  of  their  importance  to 
sportsmen,  are  :  i.  ScolopacidcBy  the  family  of  snipes  and 
sandpipers ;  2.  Charadriidce,  the  plovers  ;  3.  Recurviros- 
tridcB,  Arocets  and  Stilts ;  4.  Phalaropodidce,  the  phala- 
ropes ;  5.  Aphrizidce,  the  surf-birds  and  turnstones; 
6.  JacanidcBy  the  jacanas. 

The  birds  which  interest  sportsmen  are  for  the  most 
part  found  in  the  first  three  families  above.  In  the  first 
are  the  woodcock,  the  snipe,  and  the  upland  plover  or 
Bartramian  sandpiper,  and  several  other  sandpipers 
fairly  good  as  marks  and  to  eat. 

Among  the  plovers  there  are  several  fine  birds,  espe- 
cially the  golden-plover  and  the  black-breasted  plover ; 
large  plump  birds.  The  golden-plover  and  many  of 
the  other  varieties  are  far  better  table  birds  when 
found  on  the  Western  prairies  than  they  are  when 
feeding  about  the  shores  and  salt  marshes,  when  they 


THE  SHORE  BIRDS  OR  WADERS      251 

frequently  have  a  most  disagreeable  fishy  taste.  I 
have  shot  the  dowitcher  or  red-breasted  snipe  on  the 
grounds  now  preserved  by  the  English  Lake  Club 
(near  Chicago),  when  the  sport  was  similar  to  that  of 
snipe-shooting.  The  birds  were  feeding  in  the  grass, 
and  I  shot  them  while  shooting  snipe,  and  so  closely 
do  they  resemble  the  snipe  in  size  and  length  of  bill 
that  I  had  several  in  the  bag  before  I  noticed  the  dif- 
ference. Their  flesh  was  excellent.  On  the  prairies 
of  Indiana  and  Illinois  I  have  shot  many  golden  plover 
when  they  were  plump  to  the  bursting  point,  and  their 
fiesh  compared  favorably  with  the  delicious  Bartramian 
sandpiper  or  field  plover.  By  eliminating  the  small 
and  undesirable  varieties,  the  list  of  shore  birds  consid- 
ered game  would  be  reduced  to  about  two  dozen  birds, 
including  the  woodcock,  snipe,  upland  plover,  dowitcher 
curlew,  golden  plover,  dunlin,  yellow-shanks  willet,  and 
others  of  less  importance. 

The  three  most  important  birds  on  the  list  are  the 
woodcock,  the  snipe,  and  the  upland  plover.  We  will 
consider  these  in  their  order,  giving  them  the  space 
they  deserve.  We  then  proceed  to  bay-bird  shooting, 
where  all  the  other  varieties  may  be  taken  in  a  day  over 
decoys.  A  descriptive  list  of  all  the  shore  birds  is 
given  in  the  Appendix,  from  which  the  sportsman  may 
pick  his  game  according  to  his  taste  or  conscience. 


XXXIX 

THE    WOODCOCK 

NO  warning  cry  used  by  sportsmen  is  more  thrill- 
ing than  that  often  heard  in  the  wet  thicket, 
**mark  cock!"  No  American  game  bird  is  more  highly 
prized  by  shooters  than  the  woodcock.  William  Jar- 
vis  well  says  in  a  poetic  sentence,  it  is  "a  bird  with  the 
magic  power  to  turn  its  admirer  from  all  other  feath- 
ered game,  if  once  he  hears  the  whistle  of  its  wings 
or  sees  its  form  glide  stealthily  down  the  glade."  Dr. 
Coues  observes  this  is  the  game  bird  after  all,  say 
what  you  please  of  snipe,  quail,  or  grouse,  and  Gurdon 
Trumbull  adds  "yes.  Doctor,  either  in  the  field  or  on 
toast." 

The  woodcock  is  peculiar  in  its  appearance  and  is 
easily  distinguished  from  all  other  game  birds.  The 
general  color  is  rufous  gray,  effectively  marked  above 
with  black;  its  head  is  larger  than  that  of  the  snipe 
or  partridge  (Bob-white),  and  the  black  eyes  are  set 
well  back  and  high  to  enable  it  to  see  when  boring 
in  the  mud  with  its  long  bill.  The  legs  and  bill 
are  a  gray  flesh  color,  the  bill  being  about  two  and 
three-quarter  inches  long  and  twice  the  length  of  the 
head.  Compared  with  the  Bob-white  the  woodcock 
is  somewhat  heavier  and  larger,  the  length  of  the 
former  being  from  nine  and  one-half  to  ten  inches,  the 
latter  ten  and  one-half  inches  to  twelve  inches.  The 
woodcock  in  extent  of  wings  is  from  sixteen  to  eigh- 

252 


THE   WOODCOCK  253 

teen  inches,  and  in  weight  is  from  five  and  one-half  to 
nine  ounces.  A  full-grown  cock  will  weigh  as  much 
as  nine  ounces.  Compared  with  the  snipe  the  wood- 
cock is  heavier  and  stouter,  and  is  more  stocky  in  ap- 
pearance. The  sexes  are  alike  in  color  and  markings, 
but  the  female  is  always  the  larger. 

The  technical  Greek  name  {Philohela)  indicates  that 
the  woodcock  is  a  swamp-lover,  and  the  Latin  word 
(minor)  was  added  to  indicate  that  he  is  smaller  than 
the  European  woodcock,  which  he  much  resembles. 

The  woodcock  is  distinctly  a  bird  of  the  wet  wood- 
lands. He  is  often  found,  however,  on  wooded  hill- 
sides and  high  up  in  the  mountains.  Trumbull  says 
he  is  known  to  the  darkies  about  Matthews  Court- 
house, Virginia,  as  mountain  partridge;  and  though 
we  commonly  associate  woodcock  with  bogs  and  low- 
lying  land,  we  must  not  forget  the  good  shooting  we 
have  had  sometimes  higher  up,  nor  the  fact  that  many 
of  these  birds  retire  for  a  time  to  the  hill-tops  each 
year.  Mr.  George  B.  Sennett  saw  a  pair  of  these  birds 
on  the  summit  of  Roan  (North  Carolina)  in  a  clump  of 
balsams  at  an  altitude  of  fully  six  thousand  feet.  (The 
Auk,  July,  1887.) 

The  woodcock  arrive  in  the  Northern  States  in 
March,  some  as  early  as  February.  The  courtship 
begins  in  April,  and  the  male  bird  may  then  be  seen 
dancing  about  in  the  bog  with  elevated  tail  before  his 
admiring  mate,  and  singing  his  love  song,  which  has 
been  described  as  a  nasal  squeak.  After  singing  for  a 
time  he  soars  aloft  on  whistling  wings  and  shortly 
drops  with  great  suddenness  on  the  spot  from  whence 
he  flew.     Edwin  Kent  is  my  authority  for  the  state- 


254  SHORE   BIRDS 

ment  that  farmer  boys  take  advantage  of  the  cock 
when  thus  performing,  and  watch  for  the  bird  when 
he  leaves  the  ground,  then  run  to  the  spot  he  left  and 
kill  him  with  a  switch  when  he  drops  to  earth  again. 

The  nest  is  rudely  constructed,  usually  on  the  leaves 
on  a  dry  spot  in  the  wooded  swamp.  There  are  four 
or  five  eggs,  speckled  buff  in  color;  and  should  the  nest 
be  destroyed  by  flood,  the  birds  will  usually  nest  a 
second  time.  The  young,  like  the  young  partridges, 
are  precocious  in  the  extreme,  and  run  about  as  soon 
as  they  leave  the  shell.  The  woodcock  has  protective 
markings,  and  the  russet  color  harmonizes  well  with 
the  leaves;  it  is  difficult  to  see  the  birds  on  the  ground. 
When  the  mother  is  alarmed,  like  the  partridge  she 
warns  her  young  to  hide,  and  flutters  away  as  if  dis- 
abled, inviting  her  enemy  to  follow  her  as  she  leads 
him  away  from  her  young.  Mr.  Hills,  of  Hudson, 
New  York,  sent  me  four  remarkable  photographs  of 
this  bird  and  its  nest.  The  pictures  were  made  in  the 
town  of  Claverack,  Columbia  County,  New  York.  Mr. 
Hills  says:  "I  found  the  nest  June  24th,  and  secured 
the  pictures  June  28th."  After  making  one  picture  he 
took  a  small  stick  and  lifted  up  the  bird's  bill  so  that 
it  would  show  to  better  advantage.  He  then  placed 
the  camera  within  eighteen  inches  of  the  bird,  leaving 
her  bill  resting  on  the  stick,  and  for  the  fourth  picture 
he  lifted  the  bird  from  the  nest  and  photographed  the 
eggs.  She  returned  to  the  nest  soon  after  he  left  it. 
He  found  the  eggs  not  pecked  on  the  morning  of  the 
28th,  but  on  the  morning  of  the  30th,  at  nine  o'clock, 
she  had  hatched  her  young  and  they  were  gone. 

The  woodcock  feeds  by  boring.    Its  long  flexible  bill 


THE   WOODCOCK  255 

is  well  supplied  with  nerves,  and  it  searches  for  its  food 
by  feeling  for  it.  The  food  is  chiefly  earthworms,  but 
it  also  devours  many  insects  which  are  found  in  the 
damp  woods,  and  has  been  seen  to  catch  butterflies. 
Audubon  discovered  that  a  woodcock  devoured  in  a 
single  night  more  than  its  own  weight  in  worms,  and 
some  experiments  recently  made  on  a  captive  bird  con- 
firm his  observations.  Mr.  Kent  says  one  of  his  friends 
kept  a  pair  of  woodcock  in  confinement  for  a  few  weeks 
in  one  end  of  his  greenhouse  fitted  up  for  their  accom- 
modation. Several  large,  shallow,  wooden  trays  were 
filled  two  or  three  inches  deep  with  loose  moistened 
garden  loam,  in  which  was  placed  the  supply  of  angle 
worms.  It  required  more  of  the  gardener's  time  than 
could  well  be  spared  to  provide  sufficient  worms  for 
the  birds,  as  the  trays  were  cleaned  out  during  the 
night,  and  he  eventually  let  the  birds  go. 

When  feeding  the  woodcock  stands  for  a  moment 
with  his  head  on  one  side  as  if  listening,  then  thrusts 
the  long  bill  into  the  earth  and  feels  for  a  worm.  The 
bill  is  repeatedly  withdrawn  and  thrust  in  again,  now 
an  inch  or  more  to  the  right,  then  to  the  left,  or  in 
front  or  behind  the  first  boring,  until  at  last  the  worm 
is  struck  and  withdrawn.  The  pattern  of  holes  left  in 
the  mud  indicates  to  the  sportsman  the  presence  of  the 
birds  in  the  cover.  I  recently  observed  some  snipe 
boring  in  the  Sandusky  marshes,  and  it  seemed  to  me 
the  bill  thrusts  were  more  rapid  than  those  of  the  wood- 
cock. The  pattern  made  in  the  mud  is  similar.  The 
woodcock  is  a  nocturnal  bird  and  usually  feeds  and 
flies  by  night.  Although  found  in  the  woods  and  al- 
ways remaining  in  brush  or  timber  or  cover  of  some 


256  SHORE   BIRDS 

kind,  such  as  standing  corn,  during  the  day,  the  wood- 
cock at  dusk  will  fly  out  to  any  ground  where  food 
is  abundant.  I  have  known  them  to  drop  into  gar- 
dens quite  near  the  house,  and  they  often  fly  to  feed- 
ing grounds  quite  distant  from  the  cover.  I  have 
had  them  fly  quite  close  to  my  head  when  sitting  in 
the  front  yard,  and  they  have  often  been  seen  flying 
through  the  streets  of  a  village,  and  once  down  Broad- 
way, New  York.  I  had  one  brought  to  me  for  iden- 
tification which  was  taken  in  a  business  street  in 
Cincinnati,  and  knew  of  one  being  captured  in  a  pas- 
senger depot.  Many  are  killed  by  striking  telegraph 
wires  or  fall  victims  to  prowling  cats.  The  woodcock 
remain  until  the  ground  freezes,  when  they  at  once 
disappear,  going  south.  There  the  heavy  cane-brakes 
are  a  safe  refuge,  and  it  is  fortunately  so,  since  the 
woodcock  is  one  of  the  birds  which  seem  destined  to 
become  extinct  at  an  early  date. 

The  woodcock  is  found  from  the  Gulf  to  Canada 
and  west  to  Nebraska  and  Kansas.  They  were  for- 
merly very  abundant  in  certain  counties  in  New  York, 
and  Forester  mentions  killing  with  a  friend  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  birds  in  one  day,  and  seventy 
the  day  following  before  noon.  This  was  in  July  and 
it  was  intensely  hot.  The  ground,  he  says,  became  so 
foiled  by  the  running  of  the  innumerable  birds,  that 
although  they  had  excellent  retrievers  they  lost  be- 
yond doubt  forty  or  fifty  birds,  and  at  four  in  the  after- 
noon of  the  second  day  they  were  entirely  out  of  am- 
munition. 

Woodcock  are  abundant  in  Louisiana  during  the 
months  of  December  and  January,  and  they  were  for- 


THE   WOODCOCK  257 

merly  shot  at  night  by  means  of  torches  and  beaters. 
I  found  them  very  abundant  a  few  years  ago  in 
Northern  Indiana  and  in  Illinois,  but  they  are  no- 
where found  in  any  such  numbers  as  Forester  de- 
scribes. The  sportsmen  of  the  country  have  viewed 
their  decimation  with  alarm,  and  just  now  the  ques- 
tion of  a  rest  period  of  some  years'  duration  is  being 
urged  in  the  papers  devoted  to  field  sports. 

The  season  for  cock-shooting  was  until  a  few  years 
ago  entirely  too  long.  The  opening  day  in  most  of 
the  States  was  July  ist,  and  summer  cock-shooting 
was  practised  everywhere.  The  argument  in  favor  of 
shooting  cock  in  summer  and  snipe  and  ducks  in  the 
spring  has  always  been  ad  hoininem,  resting  not  upon 
merit,  but  upon  the  position  of  those  engaged.  If  we 
do  not  shoot  woodcock  in  July  and  snipe  in  April, 
we  will  have  no  July  or  April  shooting.  But  as  the 
scarcity  of  game  of  all  sorts  is  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  sportsmen,  the  sentiment  against  spring  and 
summer  shooting  grows  stronger,  and  this  sentiment 
is  already  reflected  in  the  legislation  of  many  States. 

I  passed  one  summer  at  a  farm  a  few  miles  from 
Cincinnati,  on  the  Little  Miami  River.  I  had  no 
thought  of  finding  woodcock  so  near  the  city,  but 
one  day  I  asked  a  local  angler  if  he  had  ever  seen  any 
woodcock  in  the  vicinity,  and  he  said  he  had  flushed 
an  occasional  bird  along  an  old  and  abandoned  mill- 
race  just  across  the  river.  The  following  Sunday  he 
was  going  over  after  minnows,  and  I  accompanied  him, 
taking  a  camera,  since  he  described  the  place  as  most 
picturesque,  darkly  beautiful  and  romantic,  with  occa- 
sional glimpses  of  water  in  the  old  race.     We  entered 


258  SHORE    BIRDS 

the  woods,  and  stooping  to  examine  the  ground  for 
borings  I  put  up  a  cock  and  soon  flushed  several 
more.  In  a  short  stroll  we  flushed  eighteen  or  twenty 
birds.  A  few  days  later  I  returned  with  the  gun, 
accompanied  by  a  small  boy  from  the  farm  and  the 
farm  dog,  a  large  black  animal,  with  a  white  tip  at  the 
end  of  his  tail,  which  had  some  pointer  blood,  but 
absolutely  no  training.  In  a  few  hours  I  succeeded  in 
making  a  very  fair  bag  of  birds.  The  ground  was 
overgrown  with  tall  horse  -  weeds,  festooned  with 
creeping  vines,  and  shaded  by  the  heavy  foliage  of 
large  trees.  Many  smaller  willows  stood  along  the 
race  and  it  was  by  no  means  an  easy  place  to  shoot. 
I  returned  often  to  this  ground  and  always  met  with 
some  success  in  the  afternoon,  but  usually  found  no 
birds  in  the  morning.  In  fact,  I  shot  most  of  my  birds 
late  in  the  afternoon,  and  was  convinced  that  they 
were  more  easily  found  when  the  feeding  time  ap- 
proached and  the  birds  began  to  move  about.  I 
would  advise  sportsmen  when  shooting  other  game  in 
the  vicinity  of  a  likely  cock  cover,  to  reserve  that  for 
the  afternoon,  since  I  am  firmly  convinced  more  birds 
will  be  found  then,  than  in  the  morning. 

I  once  made  a  trip  especially  for  woodcock  to  some 
splendid  ground  south  of  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana.  We 
started  on  the  opening  day  (July  4th)  and  had  a  spe- 
cial car  and  engine  at  our  disposal  which  moved  us 
from  one  wet  woodland  to  another,  and  we  succeeded 
in  making  fair  bags  each  day.  We  would  have  done 
better  had  not  others  been  shooting  ahead  of  us  out  of 
season,  as  was  evidenced  by  the  empty  shells  which 
were  scattered  everywhere  in  the  woods.     The  wild 


COCK  SHOOTING,  LATE  IN  THE  DAY 


THE   WOODCOCK  259 

roses  and  other  flowers  were  in  full  bloom  and  the 
heavy  summer  foliage  cast  strong  blue  shadows 
through  the  woods,  intensifying  by  contrast  the  spots 
of  vivid  green  where  the  sunlight  fell.  It  was  very 
hot  and  we  returned  often  to  the  ice-cooler  in  the  car. 
The  mosquitoes  were  abundant  and  industrious.  Al- 
though we  had  ice  we  found  it  difficult  to  preserve 
the  game.  Many  of  the  birds  were  small,  and  I  was 
more  than  ever  impressed  that  it  was  not  the  season 
for  shooting  feathered  game. 

Forester  tells  of  shooting  in  July  with  a  friend  who 
fired  at  a  woodcock,  which  fluttered  off  as  though 
wounded.  When  it  was  again  put  up  it  returned  on 
strong  wings  to  the  place  where  it  was  first  flushed. 
Following  it,  one  of  the  dogs  found  and  caught  a 
young  cock  still  unable  to  fly.  What  stronger  argu- 
ment could  be  advanced  for  prohibiting  the  summer 
shooting?  The  date  when  the  young  were  hatched  in 
the  nest  photographed  by  Mr.  Hills  was,  as  I  have  ob- 
served, later  than  June  28th.  The  open  season  in 
some  of  the  States  is  still  July  ist.  Just  think  of  a 
campaign  against  birds  two  days  old !  It  is  not  only 
outrageously  wrong,  but  cruel  to  shoot  woodcock  in 
July.  The  opening  date  should  not  be  earlier  than 
October  ist.  The  consensus  of  opinion  among  sports- 
men is  now  strongly  against  summer  shooting.  It  has 
been  prohibited  in  New  England  and  in  many  other 
States,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  it  will  be  prohibited 
in  every  State  in  the  Union  within  the  coming  year. 

There  is  but  little  pleasure  to  be  obtained  from  sum- 
mer cock  shooting.  It  is  very  hot,  tiresome  work  at 
best,  hard  alike  on  man  and  dog.     The  heavy  summer 


26o  SHORE   BIRDS 

foliage  alone  makes  the  shooting  difficult.  The  young 
birds  are  easy  marks  and  the  many  small  ones  make 
an  unattractive  bag.  The  knowledge  that  the  shot 
may  deprive  birds  two  days  old  of  the  parents*  care 
and  protection  should  be  sufficient  to  keep  sportsmen 
out  of  the  woods  at  this  season  without  the  prohibi- 
tion of  a  legal  enactment. 

In  bright  October,  when  the  frost  is  in  the  air  and 
the  leaves  have  taken  on  the  gorgeous  tints  of  autumn, 
the  birds  are  strong  on  the  wing  and  present  far  more 
difficult  marks.  They  are  heavy,  plump,  and  hand- 
some, the  rufous  tints  being  frosted  with  gray,  and  the 
flesh  is  in  fine  condition  for  the  table.  The  dogs,  in- 
stead of  trotting  about  with  tongues  hanging  from 
their  mouths,  hunt  with  a  vigorous  eagerness,  their 
heads  are  held  high  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  see  them 

go- 
As  to  the  kind  of  dogs,  since  the  shooting  of  wood- 
cock is  more  often  an  incident  to  a  day's  tramp  afield 
for  partridges  or  ruffed-grouse,  they  are  usually  the 
pointers  or  setters.  The  dogs  should  be  trained  to 
hunt  close  to  the  gun,  and  are  often  lost  for  a  time 
when  pointing  the  game  in  the  thick  underbrush.  A 
small  bell  is  sometimes  attached  to  the  collar  to  aid 
the  sportsman  in  locating  the  dogs.  Where  the  bell 
was  last  heard  tinkling  the  dog  is  often  found  on  a 
point.  Small  spaniels  are  perhaps  the  best  dogs  for 
woodcock  when  one  goes  in  pursuit  of  these  birds 
alone.  These  merry  little  dogs  gallop  about  at  short 
distances  from  the  gun  and  give  tongue  when  they 
flush  the  game.  They  have  excellent  noses  and  are  ex- 
tremely fond  of  the  sport.     The  woodcock  gives  forth 


THE  WOODCOCK  261 

but  little  scent  as  compared  with  other  game,  but  on 
the  moist  ground,  where  they  are  always  found,  it  is 
sufficient  for  the  pointers  and  setters  to  locate  and 
point  them. 

When  flushed,  the  cock  whirls  rapidly  up  through 
the  overhanging  trees,  and  flies  swiftly  away,  produc- 
ing a  whistling  sound  which  has  been  the  subject  of 
much  controversy  among  sportsmen  and  ornitholo- 
gists. Trumbull,  in  an  article  in  Forest  and  Stream^ 
gives  his  observations  of  a  captive  bird,  and  is  firmly 
of  the  opinion  that  the  whistling  noise  is  vocal.  Brew- 
ster, in  the  same  magazine,  insists  that  the  noise  is 
made  by  the  wings.  Many  other  writers  joined  in  the 
controversy,  and  pages  have  been  written  on  the  sub- 
ject.    I  believe  the  noise  is  made  by  the  wings. 

Since  the  cover  is  dense,  the  shooting  is  difficult, 
and  snap-shots  are  the  rule.  I  have  often  shot  wood- 
cock by  firing  into  the  cover  after  I  had  lost  sight  of 
them,  aiming  a  little  ahead  of  the  disappearing  bird, 
and  later  recovering  him  with  the  aid  of  pointers  or 
setters.  The  shots  are  usually  at  short  range.  A  light, 
open  gun,  12  or  16  gauge,  is  used,  loaded  with  small  shot; 
No.  9  early  in  the  season,  and  No.  8  late  in  the  fall. 
The  smokeless  powder  is  far  superior  to  the  old  black 
powder  of  a  few  years  ago ;  the  heavy  cloud  of  smoke 
from  the  first  barrel  hanging  low  in  the  damp  atmos- 
phere of  the  wet  woods  often  prevented  the  use  of 
the  second  barrel. 

The  woodcock  disappear  in  August  from  places 
where  they  have  beer^  abundant  in  July.  There  has 
been  much  speculation  as  to  the  cause  of  this  disap- 
pearance,  which  occurs  at  the  moulting  time.     Some 


262  SHORE   BIRDS 

writers  insist  there  is  a  migration,  some  say  the  birds 
go  to  the  hills,  others  believe  the  birds  resort  to  the 
standing  corn.  That  the  disappearance  occurs  there 
can  be  no  doubt,  but  there  seems  to  be  much  doubt  as 
to  the  cause  of  it,  and  the  place  resorted  to. 

The  disappearance  was  once  referred  to  in  Outing 
(September,  1892)  as  *'  the  mystery  of  the  wood- 
cock's life."  My  own  observations  lead  me  to  be- 
lieve that  it  is  not  the  knowledge  that  the  loss  of  the 
feathers  renders  them  to  a  certain  extent  helpless, 
which  induces  them  to  leave  the  swamps,  but  the  fact 
that  the  food  becomes  exhausted. 

When  we  recall  that  a  woodcock  will  eat  more  than 
his  weight  in  angle-worms  in  a  night,  and  consider 
that  each  cock  has  his  mate  and  four  or  five  young, 
with  the  proverbial  appetite  of  youth,  it  seems  reason- 
able to  believe  that  the  food  supply  gives  out  on  the 
breeding  grounds,  which  are  often  quite  limited  in  ex- 
tent. As  the  dry  season  comes  on  the  boring  area  is 
much  restricted,  since  the  flexible  bill  can  only  be  used 
in  soft,  moist  earth.  About  the  old  mill-race  in  Ohio 
where  I  had  an  opportunity  to  notice  the  disappear- 
ance of  the  birds,  1  observed  that  the  ground,  as  the 
season  progressed,  was  bored  literally  full  of  holes  in 
all  places  where  boring  was  possible.  The  race,  and  a 
creek  which  carried  its  waters  to  the  river,  flowed 
through  a  low  strip  of  land  between  hills  or  high  ter- 
races, leading  to  the  fields  above.  The  entire  ground 
was  not  over  a  mile  in  extent,  and  the  boring  area  was 
quite  narrow,  and  in  places  where  there  were  deposits 
of  lime-stones,  of  course  there  was  none.  Early  in  the 
season  the  terraces  or  hill-sides  were  sufficiently  moist 


THE   WOODCOCK  263 

in  places  to  enable  the  birds  to  use  their  probes,  but  as 
the  season  advanced,  but  a  few  small  spots  remained 
where  the  birds  could  bore.  The  sportsmen  in  the 
little  village  nearby  said  the  birds  had  gone  to  the 
hills,  their  evidence  supporting  the  contention  of 
Trumbull  and  others. 

With  a  dog  almost  worthless  I  found  birds  in  the 
neighboring  corn-fields,  which  furnished  evidence  to 
support  the  theories  of  many  other  writers.  Being  sat- 
isfied that  the  birds  scatter  at  this  season  in  their  search 
for  food,  the  only  question  which  remained  was  why 
they  should  abandon  the  home  of  their  birth,  when 
they  might  readily  go  out  to  feed  at  night,  and  return 
to  rest  in  their  chosen  cover  by  day.  Possibly  the  par- 
tial loss  of  wing  power  at  this  season  is  the  answer 
to  the  question.  It  is  most  likely  that  the  continuous 
shooting  may  make  it  seem  desirable  to  the  birds  to 
move  to  other  more  secure  retreats.  Ducks  when 
much  persecuted  will  abandon  the  choicest  feeding 
grounds:  why  should  not  the  woodcock  do  the  same? 
I  certainly  gave  the  birds  along  the  old  mill-race  every 
reason  to  desire  a  change  of  habitat. 

The  woodcock  are  now  protected  on  many  of  the 
preserves  owned  by  duck  clubs.  The  wet  woodlands 
adjacent  to  the  vast  wild-rice  marshes  about  the  Kan- 
kakee and  the  Sandusky  rivers,  and  everywhere  within 
the  range  of  the  woodcock,  where  there  are  duck  clubs, 
harbor  many  woodcock,  and  the  protection  given  the 
birds  will  do  much  toward  the  salvation  of  the  race. 

Woodcock  were  bred  and  raised  in  Fairmount  Park, 
within  the  city  limits*of  Philadelphia,  last  season. 

Good  cock-ground  in  the  Middle  and  Western  States 


264  SHORE   BIRDS 

is  usually  found  in  the  forests  adjacent  to  the  streams, 
muddy  from  flowing  through  rich  alluvial  bottoms. 
The  timber  is  walnut,  beech,  and  other  nut-bearing 
trees ;  oaks,  maples,  and  the  picturesque  sycamores 
with  wide-spreading  white  branches,  and  many  wil- 
lows. The  undergrowth  is  heavy.  Tall  horse-weeds 
grow  in  many  places  higher  than  one's  head,  and 
many  vines  and  creepers,  from  the  slender  morning- 
glory  to  the  larger  grape,  are  tangled  in  a  way  to  make 
the  walking  difficult.  In  the  hills  and  mountains  of 
Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  New  England  the  cocks 
are  found  beside  brighter,  purer  w^aters  in  the  alder 
swamps  and  places  where  the  beautiful  rhododendron 
flourishes.  Many  springs  and  brooks  in  the  haunts  of 
the  ruffed-grouse  water  areas  of  boring  ground  often  of 
very  limited  dimension. 

In  the  South  the  cocks  are  found  in  the  wet  woods, 
but  as  I  have  already  observed,  there  is  a  harbor  of 
refuge  in  the  cane.  Charming  is  the  ramble  over  any 
of  these  grounds,  magnificent  the  game.  Great  is  the 
joy  of  the  sportsman  who  in  the  autumn  stops  a  plump, 
gray  cock  as  he  goes  whistling  through  the  brake. 

During  very  dry  seasons  large  tracts  of  woodcock 
ground  become  uninhabitable,  there  being  no  longer 
any  places  soft  enough  for  boring ;  at  such  times 
the  birds  cannot  feed  and  must  movet  Should  there  be 
a  small  lake  or  pond  in  the  vicinity  with  woods  ad- 
jacent, and  springs  not  affected  by  the  dry  weather,  the 
woodcock  will  there  congregate  in  vast  numbers.  I 
once  set  out  from  Lake  Forest,  a  village  north  of 
Chicago,  with  a  sportsman  who  resided  there,  our  des- 
tination being  a  duck  club  at  Fox  Lake.     We  went  in 


THE  WOODCOCK  265 

his  shooting-trap,  drawn  by  two  horses,  and  when  well 
out  on  our  journey  met  with  a  slight  accident  which 
could  only  be  repaired  by  a  blacksmith.  We  found 
one  near  at  hand  at  a  cross-road's  village,  and  I  asked 
him  if  there  were  any  ducks  in  the  neighborhood.  He 
said  they  were  abundant  on  a  small  lake  a  mile  away, 
and  we  went  to  the  lake  to  put  in  the  time  while  the 
repairs  were  being  made  on  the  wagon.  At  the  lake 
we  found  a  leaky  boat  which  would  not  carry  two  per- 
sons, and  I  agreed  to  my  friend's  proposition  that  I 
take  a  trip  about  the  shore  while  he  put  out  to  the 
open  water  to  stir  up  the  ducks  which  were  floating  in 
rafts  at  the  middle  of  the  lake.  It  was  some  years 
ago,  when  it  was  the  fashion  to  shoot  large  shot  at 
ducks,  and  we  carried  Nos.  2  and  3. 

I  had  gone  but  a  few  steps  when  I  flushed  a  hand- 
some cock,  and  soon  discovered  there  were  more  wood- 
cock on  the  ground  than  I  had  ever  seen  before.  The 
walking  was  abominable.  The  mud  in  many  places 
was  very  deep,  and  I  had  to  make  my  way  carefully, 
stepping  from  one  hard  tuft  of  grass  to  another.  The 
heavy  duck-loads  often  upset  my  balance  and  I  had 
several  falls.  The  shot  was,  of  course,  too  large  for 
the  game ;  my  shooting  was  especially  bad  and  the 
bag  light.  My  friend,  after  several  long  shots  at  the 
ducks,  pulled  over  near  the  shore  and  asked  me  what  I 
was  firing  at  so  rapidly.  I  informed  him  that  the 
woodcock  were  holding  a  mass-convention.  While 
we  were  talking  several  birds  arose  near  at  hand  and 
flew  off.  He  declined  to  come  ashore,  observing  my 
plight  and  the  bad  nature  of  the  ground.  It  was  about 
time,  too,  for  us  to  get  on.     We  returned  to  the  wagon 


266  SHORE  BIRDS 

and  finding  it  finished  we  resumed  our  journey.  I  have 
never  seen  so  many  woodcock  before  or  since.  They 
had  no  doubt  gathered  from  miles  around,  since  the 
country  was  for  the  most  part  thoroughly  dried  up. 

Nearly  all  writers  mention  the  fact  that  the  wood- 
cock are  often  unknown  to  the  farmers  on  whose  lands 
they  reside,  and  Gurdon  Trumbull  says :  "  Many  funny 
stories  are  told  of  sportsmen  being  led  far  into  the 
woods  by  promises  of  good  woodcock  shooting,  only 
to  find  at  the  end  of  their  journey  that  the  wood- 
peckers were  referred  to.  I  had  a  similar  experience 
within  the  year  in  one  of  the  western  counties  of 
Pennsylvania.  I  once  shot  a  very  large  cock  when 
visiting  a  farmer  in  Southern  Illinois  but  a  short  dis- 
tance from  his  house.  He  expressed  great  surprise 
upon  seeing  the  bird,  and  said  he  had  never  seen  one 
before.  We  were  shooting  partridges  and  he  was  an 
excellent  shot,  very  fond  of  the  sport,  and  spent  much  of 
the  time  during  the  autumn  shooting.  I  killed  several 
other  woodcock  during  my  visit,  and  could  only  ac- 
count for  his  not  knowing  the  birds  by  reason  of  the 
fact  that  partridges  were  extremely  abundant,  and  he 
no  doubt  kept  out  of  the  wet  places,  finding  an  abund- 
ance of  birds  on  the  stubble  and  in  the  dry  wood- 
lands. 

Forester  tells  us  that,  during  the  fall  migration,  as 
rapidly  as  the  woodcock  are  shot  in  the  cover,  new 
birds  will  be  found  to  take  their  places.  He  advises 
the  sportsman  who  has  shot  all  the  birds  in  a  cover  in 
a  day,  to  return  the  next,  and  says  he  will  find  the 
cover  restocked  from  day  to  day.  He  wonders  at  this 
habit,  but  does  not  try  to  explain  it.     My  opinion  is, 


THE  WOODCOCK  267 

that  the  birds  migrating  in  small  companies  following 
one  another,  arrive  and  depart  with  some  regularity  at 
the  covers  where  the  food  is  abundant.  When  the 
birds  are  all  shot  off  one  day,  and  a  similar  number  are 
found  on  the  ground  the  next  day,  the  matter  is  noted 
and  much  talked  about  as  something  strange.  Wher^, 
no  birds  are  found  the  next  day,  the  matter  is  not  dis- 
cussed. I  am  prepared  to  admit  that  new  birds  often 
will  be  found  in  a  cover  shot  out,  but  not  always. 

The  woodcock  has  many  local  names.  He  is  some- 
times called  snipe,  or  big-headed  snipe,  wood-snipe, 
whistling-snipe,  mud-snipe,  and  red-breasted  snipe. 
The  latter  term  is  more  often  applied  to  the  dowitcher. 
Timber-doodle  is  another  name  used  by  countryfolk. 

The  European  woodcock  is  an  occasional  visitor  to 
our  country  and  is  occasionally  shot  by  sportsmen. 
He  is  a  very  much  larger  bird,  so  much  larger,  indeed, 
as  to  be  easily  distinguished.  I  read  some  time  ago 
of  an  experiment  to  introduce  these  birds  into  America, 
but  the  result  was  not  satisfactory  ;  the  birds  were  not 
seen  again  after  their  first  migration. 


XL 

THE   SNIPE 

THE  snipe  (ornithologically  Wilson's  Snipe)  is  the 
game  bird  of  the  open  bog-meadows,  and  is  sec- 
ond only  in  importance  among  the  wading-birds  to  the 
woodcock.  He  is  a  handsome,  graceful  bird,  protect- 
ively marked  above  with  brown  and  tan  and  black. 
The  markings  on  the  back  are  lengthwise.  The  under 
parts  are  white  and  gray.  The  bill  is  long,  slender, 
and  flexible,  like  that  of  the  woodcock,  but  he  is  a 
more  slender  bird,  and  somewhat  lighter. 

The  snipe  arrives  in  the  Northern  States  early  in  the 
spring,  as  soon  as  the  frost  is  out  of  the  ground.  A 
few  remain  in  secluded  places  to  nest,  but  most  of  the 
birds  continue  northward  as  the  weather  becomes 
warm,  and  nest  far  beyond  the  boundary  of  the  United 
States.  There  are  three  or  four  eggs  in  the  nest. 
Like  the  woodcock,  the  snipe  feeds  by  boring  in  the 
soft  earth  for  angle-worms.  His  presence  is  indicated 
by  the  numerous  small  holes  made  by  the  bill,  and 
until  there  are  borings  it  is  useless  to  look  for  him  on 
the  meadow. 

The  snipe  is  found  throughout  North  America  when 
migrating,  but  only  on  wet  meadows  and  fields  where 
the  ground  is  suitable  for  boring  and  where  his  food  is 
to  be  found.  He  winters  in  the  Southern  States,  Mex- 
ico, and  the  West  Indies.     I  have   shot  them   on  the 

268 


THE   SNIPE  269 

meadows  of  New  England  and  west  as  far  as  Dakota, 
where  they  were  fairly  abundant  about  the  small 
streams  and  lakes.  Nowhere  are  they  as  abundant  to- 
day as  about  the  prairie  sloughs  in  the  Western  and 
Southern  States. 

Audubon  says  the  snipe  is  never  found  in  the  woods, 
but  Forester  mentions  finding  it  in  wild,  windy  weather 
early  in  the  season  in  the  skirts  of  moist  woodlands 
under  sheltered  lee-sides  of  young  plantations,  among 
willow,  alder,  and  brier  brakes,  and,  in  short,  wherever 
there  is  good  soft,  springy  feeding-ground  perfectly 
sheltered  and  protected  from  the  wind  by  trees  and 
shrubbery.  Abbott  says  :  "  During  the  autumn  I  have 
found  them  along  neglected  meadow  ditches  overhung 
by  large  willow-trees,  and  again  hidden  in  the  reeds 
along  the  banks  of  creeks.  1  have  shot  them  repeat- 
edly in  wet  woodland  meadows.*'  I  have  often  found 
snipe  in  bushy  tracts  and  among  the  swamp  willows, 
but  1  have  never  seen  them  in  the  forest,  and  believe 
they  so  rarely  resort  to  the  woods  that  it  would  not 
be  worth  while  to  seek  them  there. 

From  the  middle  oi  March  to  the  middle  of  April 
we  may  look  for  the  arrival  of  the  snipe.  They  seem 
to  know  in  some  way,  we  know  not  how,  when  the 
frost  is  out  of  the  ground,  and  suddenly  make  their 
appearance  in  great  numbers.  Where  there  were  no 
birds  one  day  there  may  be  thousands  the  next.  Their 
going  is  equally  sudden.  After  a  real  warm  day  in  the 
spring  and  at  the  first  hard  frost  in  the  autumn  not 
one  will  be  lound  remaining.  There  is  so  much  un- 
certainty about  the  time  of  arrival  and  departure  that 
I  would  advise  sportsmen  living  at  a  distance  from  the 


270  SHORE   BIRDS 

shooting  grounds  to  have  some  local  sportsman  tele- 
graph when  the  snipe  are  on  the  grounds.  The  first 
warm,  settled  weather  in  the  spring  will  bring  the 
snipe  to  the  meadows.  It  was  until  recently  every- 
where the  fashion  to  shoot  snipe  in  the  spring.  While 
the  sport  is  not  so  barbarous  and  cruel  as  the  shooting 
of  the  woodcock  in  summer,  since  the  snipe  have  not 
nested  and  there  are  no  young  birds,  it  has  neverthe- 
less been  thought  desirable  to  stop  the  spring  shoot- 
ing, and  in  many  States  there  are  laws  prohibiting  it. 

The  frost  seems  to  leave  the  uplands  much  earlier 
than  the  lowlands.  Early  in  the  season,  therefore, 
when  the  snipe  first  arrive,  there  may  be  none  on  the 
low-lying  meadows,  their  favorite  ground,  and  many 
birds  on  fields,  especially  cornfields,  higher  up.  I  once 
tramped  an  entire  morning  early  in  the  season  over 
one  of  the  best  snipe  grounds  in  Indiana — a  low,  wet 
prairie  with  a  slough  winding  about  through  its  centre 
— and  failed  to  find  a  single  bird.  I  was  certain  the 
birds  had  arrived,  since  I  had  found  them  a  few  days 
before  on  some  meadows  near  the  village  where  I  was 
stopping.  Late  in  the  day,  in  despair,  I  asked  a  coun- 
try boy  if  he  knew  where  the  snipe  were.  I  little  ex- 
pected any  information  from  him,  but  after  describing 
the  bird,  he  directed  me  to  a  cornfield  on  higher 
ground,  and  advised  that  I  enter  the  field  from  a  lane 
which  passed  it,  and  at  a  certain  point  where  there  was  a 
depression  in  the  field.  Following  his  advice,  I  climbed 
the  rail  fence,  and  as  I  entered  the  field  several  snipe 
arose  but  a  few  feet  ahead  of  me,  and,  without  stop- 
ping to  pick  up  a  bird  or  moving  from  my  place,  1 
killed  a  half  dozen  birds ,  and  in  less  than  two  hours  I 


THE  SNIPE  271 

bagged  thirty-eight  snipe  and  two  golden  plovers — all 
killed  in  that  cornfield  and  the  one  adjacent,  where  I 
followed  a  few  of  the  birds. 

The  snipe  return  to  the  Northern  States  in  Septem- 
ber, but  many  of  the  good  spring  grounds  are  then 
entirely  dried  up,  and  being  unsuitable  for  boring,  the 
snipe  do  not  visit  them.  In  the  autumn  I  have  often 
found  the  snipe  in  the  ditches  and  about  the  edges  of 
small  streams  where  the  ground  is  soft  enough  for 
boring.  I  have  found  them  abundant  in  the  autumn 
on  the  marshes  controlled  by  the  duck  clubs  about 
Lake  Erie ;  usually  on  the  muddy  margins  of  the  ponds 
or  water-holes,  or  along  the  streams  or  sloughs.  When 
the  meadows  are  dry,  the  snipe  must  necessarily  go  to 
the  marshes  owned  by  the  clubs,  and  in  many  places 
there  is  no  fall  shooting  at  snipe  except  for  club 
members. 

When  the  snipe  first  arrive  in  the  spring  they  are 
wild  and  in  poor  condition,  but  in  a  few  days  they 
become  fat  and  lazy,  and  on  warm  days  lie  fairly  well 
to  the  dogs.  In  wild,  windy  weather  they  have  a 
habit  of  flying  up  to  a  great  height  and  letting  them- 
selves fall  through  the  air  with  a  humming  noise  pro- 
duced by  the  wings.  This  performance,  which  it  will 
be  observed  is  somewhat  similar  to  the  courtship  of 
the  woodcock,  is  repeated  over  and  over  again,  the 
snipe  descending  (not  to  earth,  however,  and  often  not 
low  enough  for  a  shot),  and  then  soaring  aloft  and 
dropping  as  before.  At  such  times  snipe  will  not  lie 
to  the  dogs,  and  those  found  on  the  meadow  are  as 
wild  as  hawks,  and  the  sportsman  cannot  expect  to 
meet    with    any    success    until    this    performance  of 


2/2  SHORE   BIRDS 

"drumming,"  or  **  tumbling,"  as  it  is  called,  is  over. 
Herbert  says  he  would  not  have  been  more  surprised 
when  he  first  saw  the  snipe  perform  in  this  manner, 
had  they  begun  to  sing  *'  God  save  the  King,"  or  more 
appropriately,  "  Hail  Columbia." 

One  wild,  windy  morning  when  shooting  with  a 
friend  in  Indiana,  we  found  the  birds  all  drumming, 
and  getting  under  them,  I  fired  several  shots  at  them 
as  they  descended,  but  we  did  not  kill  a  bird  until 
afternoon,  when  the  sun  came  out  warm  and  genial 
and  the  birds  ceased  their  performance  and  returned 
to  the  fields.  We  then  had  good  sport  with  them. 
Snipe  were  formerly  very  abundant  both  in  the  spring 
and  fall.  Forester  tells  of  large  bags  made  on  the 
meadows  about  the  Hackensack  and  Passaic  rivers. 
Bogardus  mentions  killing,  with  a  friend,  three  hun- 
dred and  forty  of  these  birds  in  a  day  on  the  Sanga- 
mon in  Illinois,  and  says  their  bag  was  seldom  so 
small  as  seventy-five  couple  at  the  right  time.  The 
larger  score  would  indicate  an  average  of  a  little  less 
than  three  birds  every  five  minutes  for  ten  hours. 
Any  one  who  has  seen  Bogardus  smash  glass-balls  or 
shoot  pigeons  at  the  trap  can  readily  believe  that  he 
could  ably  assist  in  the  killing  of  such  numbers;  but 
admitting  the  skill  of  Bogardus  no  one  can  kill  all  the 
birds  shot  at,  and  many  escape  without  a  shot  being 
fired,  either  arising  out  of  range,  or  while  the  gun  is 
being  reloaded  and  flying  away  from  the  line  of  beat ; 
so  that  it  is  evident  there  must  have  been  myriads  of 
birds  on  the  ground.  I  have  seen  these  birds  extremely 
abundant  in  many  places  in  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois, 
and  upon  several  occasions   made  large  bags,   which 


THE   SNIPE  273 

would  have  been  larger  had  I  not  run  out  of  ammu- 
nition. 

On  one  occasion,  in  Ohio,  I  killed  twenty-eight  birds 
in  a  little  over  an  hour's  shooting  before  breakfast.  It 
was  seriously  urged  some  years  ago  in  Ohio  that  the 
snipe  needed  no  legal  protection,  since  they  came  in 
such  abundance  it  would  be  impossible  to  exterminate 
them. 

The  snipe  are,  however,  nowhere  as  abundant  to- 
day as  formerly,  and  it  is  fortunate  that  they  have  in 
Ohio  and  elsewhere  comparatively  safe  retreats  on 
the  club  preserves,  where  they  are  not  shot  in  the 
spring,  and  where  they  are  often  unmolested  in  Sep- 
tember, for  the  reason  that  the  teal  and  wood-duck 
shooting  is  then  good  on  the  same  grounds. 

There  is  a  reason  for  the  absolute  disappearance  of 
these  birds  from  many  places  to  be  found  in  the  drain- 
ing of  the  lands.  The  feeding  grounds  being  de- 
stroyed, the  snipe  were  forced  to  go  elsewhere.  Some 
of  the  most  famous  snipe-grounds  in  Indiana  (one  of 
the  best  snipe  States  in  the  Union),  the  prairies  about 
Vincennes  and  in  the  vicinity  of  Lafayette,  Chalmers, 
Reynolds  and  other  places  farther  north  were  thus 
closed  to  sportsmen.  And  so  it  has  been  throughout 
the  West  where  the  soil  was  rich  and  fertile,  and  there 
was  not  too  much  water.  As  an  offset  to  this  destruc- 
tion of  good  shooting  ground,  some  new  grounds 
have  been  made  by  turning  in  cattle  upon  the  lands 
adjacent  to  sloughs  and  ponds,  where  the  wild  grasses 
grow  too  tall  and  heavy  ^or  the  snipe,  and  where  only 
the  rails  were  found.  While  reducing  the  grass  to  the 
proper  height  for  snipe,  the  cattle  improved  the  feed- 


274  SHORE  BIRDS 

ing  ground  by  much  tramping  over  it,  and  in  such 
places  I  have  recently  found  snipe  abundant  where 
there  were  none  a  few  years  ago. 

The  season  before  last  I  was  fishing  in  the  waters  of 
the  St.  Clair  flats,  and  for  some  miles  about  the  small 
hotel  where  I  was  stopping  the  reeds  and  grasses 
were  entirely  too  long  and  heavy  to  harbor  snipe. 
The  rails  were  abundant,  both  the  small  varieties  and 
the  large  king  rails,  but  there  was  not  enough  water 
in  the  grass  to  float  a  boat,  and  sportsmen  well  know 
success  does  not  follow  the  pursuit  of  rails  afoot.  It 
was  September  and  I  knew  the  snipe  must  be  passing 
upon  their  Southern  migration,  and  made  repeated  in- 
quiries for  them.  I  was  assured  by  my  landlord,  who 
was  very  fond  of  shooting,  that  there  were  none  about ; 
but  once  when  I  was  on  a  tour  of  inspection  through 
the  waterways  to  the  eastward  in  the  direction  of  the 
middle  channel,  I  was  lost  in  a  blind  cut  and  found  at 
its  head  a  dairy  farm  which  supplied  some  of  the  large 
hotels  about  the  south  channel  with  milk.  Upon  go- 
ing ashore  to  make  some  inquiries  I  flushed  a  snipe 
and  noticed  the  cattle  had  made  the  ground  most  suit- 
able for  feeding.  The  owner  of  the  ranch  had  no  ob- 
jection to  my  shooting.  I  fortunately  had  a  gun  in 
the  boat  and  several  boxes  of  cartridges,  and  I  was 
soon  at  work  with  the  birds,  shooting  over  a  brace  of 
spaniels  which  belonged  to  the  dairy-man.  I  did 
some  very  good  shooting,  and  when  I  returned  with 
the  birds  my  landlord  expressed  surprise  at  my  find- 
ing any  so  near  at  hand. 

Here  is  an  excellent  suggestion  for  the  duck  clubs, 
especially  those  frequented  by  the  shoal-water  ducks, 


THE   SNIPE  275 

or  dabblers,  where  the  snipe,  although  abundant,  are 
scattered  about  on  the  narrow  rims  of  mud  and  there 
is  often  no  good  shooting.  I  was  discussing  this  mat- 
ter one  day  with  a  member  of  the  Ottawa  Club,  when 
he  pointed  out  to  me  an  excellent  piece  of  snipe 
ground  across  the  river  which  had  been  made  by  turn- 
ing in  some  pigs.  He  said  he  believed  these  animals 
made  even  a  better  snipe  ground  than  the  cattle,  but 
on  this  point  I  have  my  doubts.  I  have  never  much 
fancied  shooting  when  a  flock  of  pigs  followed  on  be- 
hind as  witnesses.  The  snipe  are  often  found  abund- 
dant  upon  the  sloppy  tracts  used  by  cattle  about  the 
distilleries,  and  I  am  quite  sure  some  undesirable 
sloughs  and  wet  lands  can  be  converted  into  good 
snipe  grounds  by  the  use  of  these  animals. 

Another  method  which  has  been  tried  with  some 
success  is  the  burning  of  the  grass  when  it  is  very  dry, 
and  I  have  recently  seen  it  stated,  I  forget  now  where, 
that  the  frost  seems  to  come  out  of  the  ground  earlier 
where  the  grass  has  been  burned  off,  and  the  sugges- 
tion was  made  that  the  blackened  surface  took  more 
kindly  to  the  sun's  rays.  Any  place  especially  desira- 
ble by  reason  of  the  frost  being  out  of  the  ground  and 
the  food  abundant  will  attract  the  birds  upon  their 
first  arrival  and  hold  them  until  their  departure,  pro- 
vided they  be  not  too  much  persecuted.  There 
should  be  at  all  clubs  certain  rest  days  for  these  birds 
each  week,  such  as  are  provided  by  law  in  some  States 
for  the  ducks,  when  under  the  club  rules  the  birds 
would  be  unmolested.  • 

Upon  preserves  where  there  are  both  snipe  and 
ducks  certain  days  might  be  open  for  each,  and  when 


276  SHORE   BIRDS 

the  preserves  are  large  certain  tracts  might  be  closed 
to  advantage  at  all  times,  with  the  result  that  some  of 
the  ducks  and  snipe  would  remain  to  breed  on  the 
club  property. 

The  size  of  the  bag  should  be  limited  by  law,  as  it 
now  is  in  many  States,  and  supplemented  by  club  rules ; 
so  that  the  killing  of  three  hundred  and  forty  of 
these  birds  in  one  day  will  no  longer  anywhere  be 
tolerated. 

The  flight  of  the  snipe  is  peculiar.  When  flushed 
he  flies  rapidly  for  a  short  distance  to  right  or  left ;  in- 
stantly reverses  his  course  and  goes  in  the  opposite 
direction,  and  continues  to  pitch  and  dart  rapidly  from 
right  to  left,  all  the  while  uttering  a  squeak  which  is 
said  to  resemble  the  word  escape,  and  escape  he  al- 
ways does  from  the  novice,  and  quite  often  from  older 
and  more  experienced  guns. 

After  going  some  distance  the  snipe  settles  down  to 
a  course  more  regular.  It  was  formerly  considered 
most  important  to  wait  until  the  snipe  flew  straight 
before  firing  the  gun.  He  was,  however,  often  out  of 
range  before  making  the  change  in  his  flight,  and  the 
sportsmen  of  to-day,  with  their  light  hammerless  guns, 
treat  him  as  a  right  or  left  bird,  as  he  may  be  going, 
and  aiming  a  little  ahead  have  a  better  chance  of  bag- 
ging him  than  those  who  used  to  wait  to  "see  the 
rover  travel  straight." 

The  snipe  has  never  been  for  me  a  very  difficult 
mark.  His  flight  is  silent.  There  is  no  noisy  roar  of 
wings  such  as  the  grouse  and  partridges  make  to  dis- 
concert the  shooter.  The  shots  missed  are  easily  ac- 
counted for  ;  for  it  is  seen  that  the  bird  has  decided  to 


THE  SNIPE  277 

go  about  on  the  other  tack  just  at  the  moment  the 
load  of  shot  was  sent  across  his  bow,  and  of  course  he 
escapes  and  flies  on  joyfully,  announcing  the  fact  to  all 
the  other  birds  on  the  meadow.  The  cause  of  the 
error  being  apparent,  it  is  easily  corrected.  The  tacks 
are  sufficiently  long  to  enable  the  sportsman  to  kill  the 
bird  before  it  makes  the  turn,  and  if  he  be  sufficiently 
cool  he  can  select  his  shot,  taking  it  to  right  or  left  as 
he  may  prefer. 

I  have  shot  snipe  in  many  places,  and  have  always 
made  better  bags  and  killed  more  birds  continuously 
without  a  miss  when  shooting  snipe  than  when  shoot- 
ing any  of  the  other  small  birds  of  the  upland,  such  as 
partridges,  woodcock,  and  plover.  The  prairie-grouse 
are  so  large  and  fly  so  slowly  that  they  are  of  course 
easier  marks. 

The  most  important  thing  for  a  snipe-shooter  to 
know  is  that  he  must  beat  his  ground  down  wind.  He 
must  enter  a  field  or  meadow  from  exactly  the  oppo- 
site side  to  that  taken  when  he  is  in  pursuit  of  grouse 
or  partridges,  and  turn  his  back  upon  the  wind.  The 
reason  for  the  rule  is  that  the  snipe  always  arise  and 
fly  against  the  wind.  They  are  usually  wild  and  shy, 
and  take  wing  when  some  distance  from  the  shooter, 
so  that  it  is  all-important  that  they  should  spring  and 
fly  toward  and  not  away  from  him.  The  dog,  to  be 
sure,  is  placed  at  a  disadvantage  when  sent  down  wind, 
but  this  is  more  than  offset  by  the  birds  flying  toward 
and  not  away  from  the  gun.  The  dogs  used  are  usually 
pointers  or  setters,  an(J  they  soon  learn  to  point  the  game 
at  long  distances,  and  not  to  attempt  the  near  approach, 
which  is  possible  when  pointing  grouse  or  partridges. 


278  SHORE   BIRDS 

Forester,  who  had  excellent  opportunity  for  study- 
ing the  snipe  when  they  were  abundant  on  the  Passaic 
meadows,  near  his  home,  says  he  made  a  much  better 
bag-  when  shooting  one  day  in  sight  of  another  gunner, 
an  equally  good  shot,  and  who  had  better  dogs,  for  the 
sole  reason  that  he  knew  how  to  beat  for  the  game. 
When  they  met  at  the  local  tavern  in  the  evening  the 
other  gunner  expressed  surprise  at  being  so  badly 
beaten,  especially  by  one  who,  from  his  point  of  view, 
was  hunting  the  wrong  way — with  the  wind. 

When  Forester  explained  that  he  purposely  shot 
down  wind  his  rival  accepted  the  situation,  glad  of  the 
excuse  for  being  so  badly  beaten. 

Bogardus  gives  the  same  advice.  "  When  hunting 
along  a  slough,"  he  says,  "your  companion  will  com- 
monly be  willing  that  you  shall  take  either  side  you 
choose,  as  few  men  know  that  it  makes  any  difference. 
But  it  makes  a  very  material  difference  when  the  wind 
is  blowing  across  or  nearly  across  the  slough,  and  if 
you  take  the  windward  side  you  will  have  the  most 
shots.  I  have  always  done  so,  and  have  often  killed 
two  or  three  snipe  to  one  killed  by  my  companion. 
The  reason  is  simply  this  :  the  snipe  ily  up  wind,  and 
those  which  rise  on  the  leeward  side  of  the  slough 
cross  it  to  windward,  while  none  of  those  which  get 
up  on  the  latter  side  fly  to  leeward." 

On  one  occasion,  when  shooting  near  Reynolds,  In- 
diana, I  met  two  men  who  were  beating  toward  me  in 
a  very  large  field.  They  had  an  excellent  dog  and 
were  very  good  shots.  We  entered  the  field  at  oppo- 
site sides  about  the  same  time,  and  when  we  met  I 
had  killed  some  thirty  birds,  while  they  together  had 
not  killed  over  a  half-dozen.     The  birds  arose  wild  be- 


THE  SNIPE  279 

fore  them,  and  many  of  them  flew  over  or  past  me, 
presenting  good  shots,  while  none  of  my  birds  went  to 
them.  I  made  a  double  shot  just  before  we  met,  and 
had  difficulty  in  finding  the  birds,  but  they  offered  the 
services  of  their  dog,  and  he  soon  found  and  retrieved 
them,  first  pointing  dead  in  fine  style.  They  wondered 
that  I  should  kill  so  many  birds  when  they  found  it 
difficult  to  get  a  shot. 

In  an  old  note-book  I  find  the  record  of  a  snipe 
which  arose  very  wild  before  me  three  times  when  I 
attempted  to  approach  him  against  the  wind,  but  upon 
making  a  detour  and  moving  upon  him  down  wind,  he 
allowed  me  to  approach  very  close,  and  then  flew 
toward  me,  passing  so  near  that  I  had  to  wait  for  him 
to  get  off  a  suitable  distance  in  order  not  to  miss  him 
or  tear  him  to  pieces. 

The  snipe  are  easily  killed  when  hit,  and  seldom  fly 
on  after  receiving  their  death-wound,  as  the  partridges 
often  do.  They  are  usually  found  scattered  about  on 
the  feeding  ground  or  in  small  flocks  or  wisps,  as  they 
are  termed,  containing  perhaps  a  half  dozen  or  more 
birds. 

The  rule  of  silence  is  of  the  utmost  importance 
when  snipe  shooting.  There  are  birds  often  on  the 
ground  which  do  not  get  up  at  the  report  of  the  gun, 
but  upon  a  remark  to  a  companion  about  the  shot  or 
an  order  to  the  dog,  they  may  take  wing  and  escape 
before  an  empty  gun.  Slip  fresh  shells  into  the  gun 
at  once  and  be  always  on  guard  and  ready  for  a  sec- 
ond and  even  a  third  cw  more  shots.  I  have  repeatedly 
killed  a  number  of  birds  before  picking  up  the  first  or 
moving  from  my  position. 

Bogardus  mentions  killing   on  one  occasion    three 


28o  SHORE   BIRDS 

birds  at  a  shot,  and  says  he  has  several  times  killed  two 
with  one  barrel;  but  such  shots  are  uncommon  since 
the  birds  pitch  about  some  distance  apart.  I  have 
made  such  a  shot  but  once,  when  I  waited  until  two 
birds  flying  toward  each  other  crossed,  and,  firing 
just  at  the  right  time,  killed  them  both. 

On  warm,  sunny  days,  the  snipe  are  often  quite  tame 
and  do  not  fly  far.  I  was  shooting  on  such  a  day 
along  a  slough  in  Northern  Illinois  and  had  but  fifteen 
charges  of  shot.  With  these  I  bagged  fourteen  birds 
— thirteen  snipe  and  one  prairie  chicken,  missing  only 
two  shots  and  killing  two  snipe  with  one  barrel,  as 
stated.  Had  I  been  supplied  that  day  with  plenty  of 
ammunition,  1  have  no  doubt  I  could  have  made  a 
record,  since  the  birds  presented  easy  marks. 

The  proper  gun  for  snipe-shooting  is  the  12  gauge, 
loaded  with  No.  10  shot  early  in  the  season,  and  No.  9 
later,  or  No.  8  if  the  birds  are  very  wild.  Some  writers 
advise  the  use  of  No.  12,  or  mustard  seed,  but  since 
there  may  be  a  strong  wind  blowing  on  the  meadows, 
when  such  small  shot  will  be  badly  deflected  and 
the  shots  are  often  at  long  range,  I  much  prefer  the 
heavier  shot. 

It  is  well  to  have  a  few  shells  loaded  with  No.  6  or 
7  shot  for  an  occasional  mallard  or  teal ;  these  shells 
can  be  used  on  the  snipe  if  the  ammunition  gives  out. 

Dr.  Lewis  does  not  regard  dogs  as  of  much  account 
in  snipe-shooting,  "perhaps,"  he  says,  "  because  I  never 
had  a  particularly  good  one  for  this  sport — except  a  re- 
triever." He  admits,  however,  that  snipe  frequently 
lie  well  and  suffer  a  dog  to  approach  within  a  few  feet 
of  them. 


THE   SNIPE  281 

I  am  much  in  favor  of  the  use  of  dogs.  The  walk- 
ing is  difficult  and  laborious,  the  grounds  are  of  wide 
extent ;  a  well-trained  dog  can  be  sent  long  distances 
to  search  for  the  birds  and  thus  save  the  shooter  many 
steps.  He  will  point  wild  birds  at  long  range  and 
retrieve  the  fallen,  and  should  the  birds  prove  very 
wild  and  refuse  to  lie  to  him,  he  can  be  sent  forth  to 
find  and  move  a  lot  of  birds,  which  are  easily  marked 
down,  and  if  necessary  the  dog  can  be  ordered  to  heel 
upon  approaching  them.  Then,  too,  more  than  half 
the  pleasure  of  field  sports  is  the  observation  of  the 
high  bred,  intelligent  animals.  The  protective  mark- 
ings of  a  snipe  make  it  most  difficult  to  find  without 
the  aid  of  a  dog,  and  the  shooting  is  often  too  rapid  for 
the  good  marking  of  dead  birds.  Snipe-shooting  is 
hard  work  for  the  dogs.  They  get  thoroughly  wet 
and  muddy,  and  have  earned  a  rest  by  the  fire  before 
they  are  put  in  the  kennel  for  the  night.  It  is  impor- 
tant they  should  be  dry,  otherwise  they  may  be  stiff 
and  useless  on  the  morrow. 

The  spaniels  often  used  in  cock-shooting  have  been 
used  on  snipe.  I  never  so  used  them  excepting  on  the 
occasion  referred  to  in  Michigan  and  once  in  Illinois. 

The  two  bright  little  spaniels  at  the  dairy-farm 
rushed  out  of  the  house  and  came  to  me  at  the  sound 
of  the  gun,  and  since  their  owner  did  not  object,  I  used 
them  that  day  and  on  several  other  occasions,  and 
they  did  excellent  work.  The  ground  was  peculiarly 
suitable  for  their  use,  however,  a  good  part  of  it  being 
a  long  narrow  strip  between  two  channels.  Starting 
out  with  the  wind  at  my  back,  the  dogs  ranged  well 
ahead  and  flushed  the  birds,  which  flew  toward    me. 


282  SHORE  BIRDS 

often  passing  immediately  overhead.  A  few  which 
went  out  over  the  water,  returned  and  pitched  quite 
near  me,  and  having  marked  them,  I  went  to  them  at 
once  with  the  dogs  at  heel.  One  day  I  took  a  set- 
ter in  my  boat  when  I  left  the  Star  Island  hotel,  and 
shot  over  him  with  the  spaniels  at  heel.  The  small 
dogs  made  far  better  retrievers,  going  through  and 
under  the  heavy  rushes,  reeds,  and  grasses,  where  the 
birds  often  fell ;  while  the  setter  soon  tired  himself  out, 
floundering  about  and  trying  to  move  by  jumping  over 
them.  The  Snipe  is  often  called  Jack  Snipe  or  Eng- 
lish Snipe,  but  the  English  Snipe  is  rarely  seen  as  a 
straggler  to  our  country. 

A  light  shooting-coat  and  short  trousers,  and  for  me 
light  stout  shoes  and  leggins,  make  up  the  costume 
for  snipe-shooting.  Many  go  afield  wearing  the  long 
rubber  boots  or  waders.  I  prefer  to  travel  light  and 
get  wet,  and  rely  upon  an  immediate  change  of  foot- 
wear at  night  to  prevent  a  cold. 


XLI 

THE    BARTRAMIAN    SANDPIPER— UPLAND   PLOVER 

npHE  Bartramian  sandpiper  of  the  ornithologists  is 
^  the  upland  or  field  plover  of  the  sportsmen. 
Wilson  named  it  after  his  friend  William  Bartram, 
near  whose  botanic  gardens  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
Schuylkill  he  first  found  it.  Seton  says,  "  ever  since 
Wilson's  time  this  name  has  been  continually  thrust 
into  the  face  of  the  public,  only  to  be  as  continually  re- 
jected. Upland  plover  it  continues  to  be  in  the  East, 
and  quaily  on  the  Assiniboine."  In  the  West,  the  bird 
is  the  prairie  pigeon,  and  at  New  Orleans  it  is  the  pap- 
abote. 

It  was  formerly  abundant  in  New  England,  and  on 
Long  Island  and  throughout  the  country  west  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  frequenting  only  the  high,  grassy, 
open  fields.  It  does  not  frequent  the  ponds  or  streams 
or  ocean  shores,  and  in  its  habits  is  more  of  a  plover 
than  a  sandpiper.  Its  food  is  chiefly  insects.  It  never 
has  the  fishy  taste  so  often  observed  in  other  sand- 
pipers and  plovers,  and  its  flesh  is  always  delicious. 
Audubon,  Wilson,  Coues,  Elliot,  Forester  and  the  rest 
of  the  ornithologists  and  sportsmen  are  united  in  prais- 
ing this  bird  as  an  artjcle  of  food. 

Colonel  Dodge  regards  it  as  one  of  the  best  of  our 
table  birds,  using  it  as  a  standard  of  excellence  to  which 

283 


284  SHORE   BIRDS 

he  compared  the  young  sage-grouse.  Forester  says : 
"  As  far  as  a  bonne  bouche  for  the  epicure  goes,  this 
plover  is  inferior  in  my  judgment  to  no  bird  that  fiies, 
unless  it  be  the  canvas-back  duck,  and  there,  with  the 
chancellor  I  doubt."  As  a  game  bird  and  object  of 
pursuit,  I  do  not  myself  care  about  him.  The  modus 
operandi  does  not  suit  my  book  or  entertain  me  ;  never- 
theless, there  is  much  skill  displayed  in  circumventing, 
or  as  Major  Docherty  would  say,  surrounding,  this 
wily  bird  ;  and  as  frequently  a  very  large  number  may 
be  brought  to  bag,  it  is  with  some  persons  a  very  fa- 
vorite sport.  Forester  describes  at  length  the  method 
of  pursuit  in  Rhode  Island,  where  the  sportsman  is 
driven  in  a  chaise  as  if  to  pass  the  birds,  the  vehicle 
being  driven  in  a  circle,  approaching  nearer  and  nearer 
until  the  birds  are  about  to  take  wing,  when  the  sports- 
man steps  quickly  to  the  ground  and  fires  as  they  arise. 

The  upland  plover  is  a  bird  of  graceful  outline, 
brown  in  color,  marked  with  black  and  buff.  There  is 
but  little  difference  in  the  appearance  of  the  sexes. 
The  nest  is  always  on  the  ground  in  the  grass,  and 
there  are  four  eggs. 

The  flight  of  this  bird  is  strong  and  swift,  and,  since 
they  are  usually  shot  at  long  range,  they  are  difficult 
marks.  The  method  of  pursuit  is  everywhere  the  same, 
the  sportsman  being  driven  in  a  vehicle  of  some  kind 
(usually  a  wagon,  buggy,  or  buck-board  in  the  West)  as 
near  as  possible  to  the  game,  and  jumping  down  to 
shoot  as  the  birds  take  wing.  They  are  sometimes 
shot  from  the  saddle,  which,  after  all,  is  perhaps  the  best 
way  of  pursuing  them.  Dogs  are,  of  course,  useless, 
since  the  birds  will  never  lie  to  them. 


THE   UPLAND    PLOVER  285 

Upland  plover  are  no  longer  found  abundant  any- 
where excepting  in  the  West  and  South. 

They  have  vanished  entirely  from  many  of  the  East- 
ern fields,  but  are  still  fairly  abundant  in  Illinois,  the 
Dakotas,  and  Indian  Territory.  Mr.  Hough  says  this 
bird  fairly  swarms  at  times  on  the  lower  table-lands  of 
Utah  and  Colorado  and  overruns  Kansas  and  Ne- 
braska in  large  flocks  ;  but  they  do  not  decoy  regularly 
enough  to  warrant  the  use  of  decoys,  and  the  shooter 
need  not  waste  time  in  putting  out  a  flock.  In  a  few 
instances  he  shot  them  over  decoys  made  of  dead  birds, 
but  could  hardly  say  that  they  drew  in  to  the  flock,  nor 
is  it  certain  that  they  will  pay  more  than  the  slightest 
attention  to  an  imitation  of  their  whistle.  They  are 
especially  fond  of  ground  that  has  recently  been  burnt 
over. 

Before  becoming  familiar  with  the  gun  these  birds, 
like  all  others,  are  quite  tame.  Dr.  Coues  says  he 
found  them  so  tame  in  Kansas  that  they  were  de- 
stroyed without  the  slightest  artifice,  and  that  he  had 
seen  them  just  escape  being  caught  with  the  crack  of  a 
coach-whip.  Mr.  Van  Dyke,  in  a  magazine  article,  has 
given  us  an  interesting  account  of  shooting  these  birds 
in  standing  corn.  He  killed  seventeen  birds  in  one 
field,  many  of  the  shots  being  within  twenty-five  feet, 
and  made  one  double  shot.  This  is  the  only  instance 
I  know  of  where  the  birds  have  been  walked  up  and 
shot  at  close  range.  I  should  have  been  tempted  to 
buy  the  field.  I  doubt  if  they  are  to  be  found  any- 
where to-day  as  tame  ?as  described  by  Coues.  They 
learn  quickly  that  man  is  their  enemy,  and  the  fear  be- 
comes, I  believe,  a  matter  of  instinctive  heredity. 


286  SHORE   BIRDS 

My  own  experience  with  these  birds  has  not  been 
extensive.  On  Long  Island  I  found  them  so  few  in 
numbers  and  so  wild  as  to  make  it  hardly  worth  while 
to  go  in  pursuit  of  them.  In  company  with  a  local 
gunner  who  thought  he  could  whistle  them,  I  put  in 
some  time  with  them  for  want  of  something  better  to 
do,  but  the  birds  seemed  to  me  to  put  an  additional 
mile  to  the  distance  between  us  at  each  whistle.  We 
were  entirely  unable  to  stalk  them,  and  those  which 
came  anyw^here  near  our  ambush  were  always,  in  the 
drawling  dialect  of  my  companion,  "Tew  wide,  tew 
wide." 

In  the  far  West,  where  I  found  these  birds  more 
abundant  and  tame,  I  was  accompanied  by  setters,  and, 
the  grouse  being  abundant,  I  had  no  time  to  devote  to 
birds  which  did  not  interest  my  dogs,  and  shot  but  a 
few  specimens. 

A  friend  of  mine,  an  army  officer  stationed  in  Texas, 
informed  me  that  they  kill  large  numbers  of  them, 
driving  about  in  an  ambulance,  and  I  regretted  much 
that  I  could  not  accept  an  invitation  to  shoot  them 
there.  I  have  had  many  a  cruise  in  an  army  ambu- 
lance after  all  sorts  of  game,  from  the  lordly  elk  and 
buffalo  to  birds  of  all  sorts,  but  have  never  used  an 
army  ambulance  as  a  means  of  approaching  the  "  prai- 
rie pigeon." 


XLII 

BAY   BIRD   SHOOTING 

THE  shore  birds  or  waders  other  than  the  wood- 
cock, snipe,  and  upland  plover  or  Bartramian 
sandpiper  may  all  be  considered  together,  so  far  as  the 
shooting  is  concerned,  under  the  familiar  title  bay  birds. 
Throughout  the  entire  length  of  our  sea-coasts,  about 
the  bays,  lagoons,  inlets,  and  salt  marshes,  most  of  the 
varieties  may  be  seen  late  in  the  spring  upon  their 
northern  migration,  and  at  the  end  of  summer  return- 
ing southward  with  the  young  of  the  year. 

When  going  to  shoot  the  bay  birds  I  would  advise 
the  sportsman  to  put  up  with  some  local  gunner  or 
fisherman,  so  as  to  be  on  or  near  the  ground,  excepting, 
of  course,  those  sportsmen  who  belong  to  the  clubs,  or 
have  an  invitation  to  shoot  on  club  preserves.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  advantage  of  being  on  or  near  the  ground 
the  sportsman  domiciled  with  a  local  gunner  will  have 
the  advantage  of  his  advice,  and  without  much  diffi- 
culty will  reach  the  points  frequented  by  the  birds. 
Although  he  may  have  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  habits 
of  the  birds,  it  is  all  important  to  know  what  they  are 
doing  in  a  given  locality  ;  what  particular  marsh,  flat, 
point,  or  mud-hole  they  may  be  using,  and  the  most 
likely  places  for  a  blintl.  For  several  years  during  my 
residence  at  Yale  I  had  an  arrangement  with  a  market 
gunner  at  Shinnecock  Bay.     He  had  a  neat  and  tidy 

887 


288  SHORE   BIRDS 

cabin  on  a  little  creek,  a  short  distance  from  the  bay, 
good  boats,  plenty  of  decoys  and  was  thoroughly  fam- 
iliar with  every  inch  of  the  ground.  Of  course,  after 
spending  some  weeks  with  this  obliging  and  capable 
man  I  was  able  to  go  out  alone  on  the  bay,  knowing 
well  every  likely  place  for  birds. 

Although  I  regard  the  shooting  of  bay  birds  as 
the  least  interesting  of  all  field-shooting,  1  have  spent 
many  pleasant  days  so  engaged ;  and  when  the  day  is 
fine  and  the  flight  good,  the  sport  furnishes  excite- 
ment enough  of  a  pleasurable  kind,  and  a  bag  of  birds, 
good,  bad,  and  indifferent ;  their  value  depending  much 
upon  their  food,  and  many  of  them  too  small  and  insig- 
nificant as  marks  to  be  worthy  of  a  sportsman's  notice. 

The  method  of  pursuit  at  all  seasons  is  the  same. 
When  the  tide  begins  to  flow  the  sportsman  sets  forth 
for  the  shooting  ground  at  the  margin  of  some  bay  or 
pond,  accompanied  usually  by  a  professional  market 
gunner  or  bayman,  who  sails  the  boat,  puts  out  the 
decoys,  constructs  the  blind  or  hide,  and,  in  fact,  does 
all  the  work. 

The  blind  is  constructed  of  sea-weed,  sedge,  or 
bushes ;  sometimes  a  group  of  small  evergreen  trees, 
stuck  in  the  mud,  at  a  favorite  place  and  left  standing, 
so  that  the  birds  may  become  familiar  with  them. 
Often  a  box  is  sunk  in  the  mud  or  sand  with  a  fringe 
of  sea-weed  or  marsh  grass  about  it,  further  to  conceal 
it.  This  is  the  best  form  of  blind,  so  far  as  deception  is 
concerned,  but  it  is  decidedly  tiresome,  lying  down  in 
a  narrow  box  for  hours  at  a  time,  especially  if  the  flight 
is  not  good.  The  decoys,  wooden  or  tin  images, 
painted  to  represent  the  more  common  varieties  of 


BAY   BIRD   SHOOTING  289 

bay  birds,  are  set  up  a  short  distance  from  the  place 
of  ambush,  usually  at  the  edge  of  the  water,  some  of 
them  in  the  shoal  water,  others  on  a  likely  little  bar  or 
feeding-place.  Considerable  skill  is  displayed  in  set- 
ting them  so  that  they  resemble  a  lot  of  birds,  natu- 
rally spaced  and  posed  as  if  feeding. 

The  sail  down  the  bay  in  a  boat  moved  by  a  sum- 
mer breeze  is  delightful.  As  the  sportsman  listens  to 
the  waves  splashing  against  the  prow  and  breathes  the 
salt  air,  his  eyes  rest  upon  the  broad  marshes,  beauti- 
ful in  tones  of  yellow,  olive,  and  Venetian  red,  which 
stretch  away  to  the  horizon,  where  they  blend  with  the 
diminutive  summer  clouds  floating  in  an  azure  sky. 
There  are  a  few  hay-stacks.  There  is  a  cabin  here 
and  there,  a  picturesque  fish-reel,  and  the  tall,  slim 
light-house  gleams  white  like  the  passing  sails.  Pres- 
ently the  bay-man  exclaims  :  "  Mark !  Dowitch  !  "  and 
as  a  matter  of  habit,  ducks  his  head  and  begins  to 
whistle  in  imitation  of  the  notes  of  the  dowitchers  or 
red-breasted  snipe,  or  it  may  be  the  loud  shrill,  Whew ! 
Whew !  Whew !  in  one,  two,  three  order,  should  the 
birds  be  the  noisy  tattlers,  the  yellow-legs.  A  bunch 
of  birds  flying  closely  together  is  seen  far  out  over  the 
beach,  moving  to  a  feeding  ground.  There  is  no  dan- 
ger of  the  birds  coming  within  range,  however.  They 
know  the  gun  too  well.  The  bay-man  recovers  from 
his  automatic  pose  of  concealment,  ceases  to  whistle, 
glances  at  the  sail,  moves  the  rudder  slightly  in  his 
endeavor  to  make  more  speed,  and  the  merry  waves 
go  slap,  slap,  slap  against  the  bow,  sweet  music  to  the 
sportsman's  ear,  far  different  from  the  rattle  in  the 
streets  at  home. 


290  SHORE   BIRDS 

Approaching  a  feeding  ground,  a  variety  of  birds 
are  seen  diligently  at  work,  running  about  on  the 
muddy  or  sandy  flat  and  in  the  shallow  water.  These 
sound  an  alarm  and  take  wing,  flying  rapidly  away. 
The  blind  is  quickly  arranged,  the  decoys  are  set  out 
and  the  boat  sails  away  to  a  sufficient  distance,  so  as 
not  to  alarm  the  returning  birds.  As  the  tide  rises 
the  birds  feeding  in  the  marshes  are  driven  out  and 
fly  about.  The  bay-man  at  once  knows  what  variety 
is  approaching,  even  when  they  are  but  small  specks 
on  the  horizon,  and  begins  to  whistle  a  perfect  imita- 
tion of  their  cries.  Soon  they  discover  the  counter- 
feits and  wheeling  all  together  they  come  sailing  up, 
flutter  a  moment  over  the  decoys  and  often  alight 
among  them  if  permitted  to  do  so. 

If  the  birds  are  allowed  to  alight  an  immense  num- 
ber may  often  be  killed  at  the  first  shot,  and  many 
more  will  surely  fall  to  the  second  barrel  as  the  rem- 
nant of  the  flock  flies  away. 

There  may  be  some  excuse  for  a  market  gunner  with 
a  large  family  to  support  (if  legally  permitted  to  shoot 
birds,  as  he  should  not  be)  shooting  birds  on  the 
ground.  His  business  requires  him  to  get  the  largest 
number  of  birds  with  the  least  expenditure  of  ammu- 
nition. There  is  no  such  excuse  for  a  sportsman.  He 
should  select  his  birds  while  they  are  on  the  wing  and 
try  for  a  double  shot.  Since  he  presumably  shoots 
for  sport  alone,  he  would  do  well  to  try  and  make  his 
double  shot  count  for  not  more  than  two  birds,  shoot- 
ing where  the  birds  are  widely  spaced  instead  of  where 
they  are  most  closely  crowded  together.  It  is  short- 
sighted  in  the  extreme  now  that  game  birds  of  all  sorts 


BAY   BIRD   SHOOTING  291 

are  vanishing  so  rapidly  to  try  and  kill  them  all  at 
once.  I  have  referred  to  the  legal  limitation  of  the 
bag  to  be  made  in  a  day,  found  necessary  in  many 
places. 

In  Vermont — the  bag  limit  is  five  birds  per  diem — 
a  single  pot-shot  puts  an  end  to  a  legal  day's  shooting. 
In  Maine  the  limit  of  a  day's  bag  is  fifteen  birds,  ex- 
cepting sandpipers  (which  I  suppose  is  a  legal  blunder 
for  shore  birds),  where  the  bag  limit  is  seventy  birds. 
Club  rules  and  regulations  govern  the  bag  on  many 
preserves,  and  it  is  evidently  to  the  sportsman's  inter- 
est nowadays  to  select  his  birds  and  kill  only  one  at  a 
time.  Sportsmanship  is,  I  am  pleased  to  observe,  more 
refined  and  humane  to-day  than  formerly,  and  the  true 
sportsman  seeks  to  enjoy  the  sport  with  the  least  pos- 
sible cruelty,  killing  his  birds  clean  and  wounding  as 
few  as  possible.  The  shot  at  the  flock  where  the  birds 
are  closest  together  is  sure  to  wound  a  number  in  addi- 
tion to  those  killed  outright. 

There  may  be  many  varieties  of  birds  in  the  bag  at 
night.  In  Massachusetts  and  elsewhere  it  is  customary 
to  speak  of  "  big  "  and  "  little  "  birds.  The  curlews, 
dowitchers,  tattlers,  golden  and  black-breasted  plovers 
and  some  others  rank  as  big  birds,  and  all  the  smaller 
plovers,  sandpipers,  and  sanderlings  are  classed  as 
small  birds. 

I  am  firmly  of  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  well  to 
draw  the  line  so  as  to  exclude  all  the  little  birds  from 
the  list  of  game,  with  the  exception  of  one  or  two  vari- 
eties, such  as  the  pectcft-al  sandpipers,  which  are  excel- 
lent food  birds.  For  my  part  I  do  not  care  to  shoot 
at  these,   After  lively  work  with  canvas-backs,  mallards. 


292  SHORE   BIRDS 

grouse,  partridges,  woodcock,  snipe  and  other  splen- 
did game  birds,  the  pectoral  sandpiper,  peep,  and  oxeye 
do  not  suit  my  gun. 

A  retrieving  spaniel  under  good  command  is  useful 
and  ornamental  in  bay  bird  shooting.  He  should  be 
under  excellent  control  and  lie  close  in  the  blind,  not 
winking  an  eye  until  ordered  out  to  retrieve.  The 
dogs  used  for  duck-shooting  will  do  very  well.  I  have 
used  setters.  The  gun  should  be  the  12  gauge; 
shot  No.  8,  with  a  few  loads  of  No.  7  or  6,  for  the 
largest  birds  or  any  long-range  shots.  A  light  sleeve- 
less coat  of  gray  or  brown  canvas,  a  hat  of  the  same 
color  and  light  shoes  make  up  a  suitable  costume,  since 
the  weather  is  warm.  A  heavier  coat  and  rain-coat 
may  be  left  in  the  boat.  A  well-filled  lunch  basket, 
with  a  bottle  of  beer  or  wine,  if  you  will,  and  plenty  of 
water  and  ice,  add  to  the  pleasures  of  the  noon-hour, 
and  the  ice  may  save  the  game  on  a  very  hot  day. 

Forester's  advice  is  to  use  two  heavy  guns — 10-  or 
i2-pounders — loaded  with  coarse  powder  and  No.  5 
shot.  It  is  needless  to  say  the  advice  is  not  heeded 
by  sportsmen.  A  few  such  guns  may  be  found  to- 
day at  some  of  the  duck  clubs,  but  they  are  not  fired 
at  peeps. 

Difficult  shots  are  sometimes  presented  at  wild  pass- 
ing birds,  when  the  gun  should  be  held  well  ahead  of 
the  mark,  as  in  duck-shooting. 

A  piece  of  netting  over  the  hat  will  keep  off  some 
of  the  mosquitoes  and  gnats,  which  are  marvellously 
abundant  on  good  bay  bird  grounds,  and,  unless  you 
are  pretty  thoroughly  acclimated,  as  Forester  says, 
they  "  will  probably  use  you  up  to  about  as  great  a 


BAY   BIRD   SHOOTING  293 

degree  as  you  will  use  up  the  willets,  robins,  dow- 
itchers,  marlins,  yellow-legs,  and  black-breasts."  A 
fine  salt  breeze,  however,  often  blows  the  mosquitoes 
away,  and  a  cloud  of  tobacco-smoke  may  be  sent  after 
them. 

The  misfratins:  shore  birds  which  follow  the  streams 
of  the  interior  and  are  found  far  from  salt  water,  an- 
nually travelling  up  and  down  the  valley  of  the  Missis- 
sippi and  its  tributaries,  are  not  much  shot  over  decoys. 
In  some  places  they  are  quite  tame  and  may  be  ap- 
proached within  range,  and  when  shot  at  often  will  fly 
away  but  a  short  distance,  and  return  again  to  hover 
over  their  dead  and  dying  companions,  presenting  the 
easiest  kind  of  shots.  As  larger  game  rapidly  vanishes 
more  attention  is  given  to  the  shore  birds,  and  they 
soon  will  become  wild,  and  when  shot  at  will  fly  long 
distances. 

There  are  many  places  in  the  Western  States  where 
the  shore  birds  may  be  shot  over  decoys  in  the  same 
manner  as  on  Long  Island,  but  they  are  more  often 
shot  incidentally  by  sportsmen  who  are  afield  for  snipe, 
or  as  they  pass  over  the  duck-blinds.  It  is  in  such  ways 
that  I  have  shot  most  of  the  varieties  in  the  Western 
States. 

The  shore  birds  are  fairly  abundant  at  many  of  the 
duck  preserves,  and  no  doubt  as  the  ducks  come  in 
fewer  numbers  more  attention  will  be  given  them.  At 
some  of  the  clubs  there  are  full  sets  of  decoys  for 
shore  birds. 


XLIII 

OTHER   SNIPES   AND   SANDPIPERS 

HAVING  described  the  method  of  pursuit,  we  now 
come  to  consider  the  birds,  to  look  over  the 
bag,  as  it  were,  handling  them  one  by  one,  to  see  what 
birds  are  worth  the  powder  and  to  throw  out  those  en- 
tirely worthless,  which  should  not  have  found  a  place 
in  the  bag. 

The  desirable  birds  of  the  snipe  and  sandpiper  family 
(in  addition  to  the  woodcock,  snipe,  and  upland  plover, 
or  Bartramian  sandpiper),  are  twelve  in  number:  The 
dowitcher  or  red-breasted  snipe,  the  knot,  the  dunlin, 
the  marbled  godwit,  the  Hudsonian  god  wit,  the  greater 
yellow-legs,  the  lesser  yellow-legs,  the  willet,  three  cur- 
lews, and  the  pectoral  sandpiper. 

All  but  the  last  named  and  the  dunlin  are  birds  of  fair 
size,  good  marks,  and  fairly  good  to  eat  when  their 
food  does  not  give  them  a  too  ''  fishy  "  taste.  The  pec- 
toral sandpiper  is  a  small  bird,  but  its  flesh  is  better  for 
the  table  than  that  of  many  others,  and  on  this  account 
it  properly  finds  a  place  in  the  bag.  This  bird  is  in 
some  localities  known  as  the  jack-snipe,  a  name  more 
often  applied  to  the  true  snipe  {scolopax). 

We  proceed  to  consider  these  larger  birds  in  their 
order,  and  since  all  the  shore  birds,  big  and  small, 
under  existing  game  laws  are  considered  game,  we 
have  listed  the  smaller  varieties  in  the  appendix,  suffi- 

204 


OTHER  SNIPES  AND   SANDPIPERS    295 

ciently  describing  them  to  enable  the  sportsman  to 
identify  them.  The  smaller  birds  are  sometimes  shot 
by  accident  when  the  gun  is  fired  at  larger  game,  and 
it  has  been  the  practice  on  many  beaches  to  shoot  them 
for  sport  for  the  want  of  something  better  when  the 
larger  birds  are  not  about. 

I.— THE   DOWITCHER — RED-BREASTED   SNIPE 

This  bird  is  about  the  same  in  size  as  the  Wilson 
snipe,  has  the  same  long  bill  and  is  often  mistaken  for 
the  latter  bird.  In  the  Western  markets  I  have  seen 
them  hung  up  in  bunches  with  the  Wilson  snipe,  often 
called  jack  or  English  snipe.  I  have  found  and  shot 
them  on  the  same  wet  grass  fields  with  the  Wilson 
snipe.  Along  the  shores  they  are  shot  over  decoys 
with  the  other  shore  birds.  They  respond  well  to  an 
imitation  of  their  whistle,  and  the  baymen  are  quite 
expert  in  calling  them.  As  Elliot  observes,  they  are 
among  the  last  to  take  alarm  should  an  intruder  draw 
near.  Like  some  of  the  other  varieties,  before  being 
too  much  shot  at  they  will  return  a  second  time  to  the 
decoys,  provided  the  gunner  remains  concealed  and 
can  imitate  their  familiar  call,  and  many  often  fall  at  a 
shot. 

The  long-billed  dowitcher  is  the  Western  variety  and 
is  only  found  in  western  North  America,  breeding  in 
Alaska  to  the  Arctic  Coast,  migrating  south  in  winter 
through  the  western  United  States  (including  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley)  to  Mexico,  and  less  commonly  along 
the  Atlantic  Coast.  Its  bill  is  somewhat  longer  than 
that  of  the  Eastern  bird,  but  from  the  sportsman's 
point  of  view  the  two  birds  are  the  same. 


296  SHORE   BIRDS 

II. — THE    KNOT 

The  knot,  often  called  robin  snipe,  from  the  resem- 
blance of  its  lower  plumage  to  that  of  the  robin,  is 
nearly  as  large  as  the  upland  plover,  or  Bartramian 
sandpiper.  It  is  found  throughout  the  world,  fre- 
quenting the  shores  of  all  continents.  It  has  been  very 
abundant  on  the  Atlantic  Coast  and  is  still  more  abun- 
dant than  many  of  the  other  waders.  The  young  are 
often  known  as  gray-backs,  or  gray -backed  snipe. 

Mr.  Ralph  Greenwood,  writing  for  Shooting  and  Fish- 
ing, says  that  at  Chatham,  Massachusetts,  the  sanderlings 
are  very  plentiful ;  the  turnstone  plovers  are  also  abun- 
dant and  by  most  gunners  are  esteemed  a  step  higher 
than  the  sanderling.  "The  knot  (red-breast),"  he  says, 
"is  still  more  highly  esteemed  by  sportsmen,  and  as  a 
rule  one  or  two  are  shot  each  day  by  each  gunner. 
Sanderlings  are  by  some  considered  unworthy  of  a 
charge  of  shot;  but  the  sanderling  is  generally  quite 
fat,  and  its  flesh,  according  to  my  opinion,  is  superior 
to  the  black-bellied  plover,  the  greater  yellow-legs,  or 
in  fact  most  of  the  shore  birds."  ..."  All  strive  to 
shoot  the  knot." 

Other  local  names  for  the  knot  are  red  sandpiper, 
may-bird,  red-breast  plover,  and  beach  robin. 

These  birds  feed  like  the  other  smaller  and  more 
familiar  shore  birds,  running  gracefully  away  from  the 
on-rushing  wave,  fl3ang  a  few  feet  if  necessary  to  avoid 
being  overtaken  by  it  and  following  the  receding 
waters,  feeding  as  they  go,  in  a  manner  familiar  to  all 
who  have  taken  a  stroll  on  the  beach. 

Anderson  refers  to  the  knot  as  a  superior  bird  of 
ready  sale. 


OTHER  SNIPES  AND   SANDPIPERS    297 

The  knot  flies  swiftly,  presents  a  fairly  good  mark, 
and  comes  readily  to  decoys,  especially  when  the  notes 
of  its  call, ''  wheep,  wheep,"  are  imitated. 

III. — THE  DUNLIN 

The  dunlin  of  the  gunners  is  the  red-backed  sand- 
piper of  the  ornithologist.  They  are  found  through- 
out America,  and  have  been  given  the  name  dunlin 
from  the  European  bird.  In  the  check-list  of  the 
American  Ornithological  Union  this  bird  is  given  as 
a  sub-species ;  the  English  dunlin,  which  is  an  oc- 
casional visitor  to  our  shores,  being  placed  as  the 
species. 

The  dunlin  is  usually  shot  by  sportsmen  and  is 
plump  and  palatable.  Trumbull  says  no  apology  is 
necessary  for  introducing  it  in  his  list,  as,  notwithstand- 
ing its  diminutive  size,  it  has  appeared  many  times  in 
lists  of  gunners'  birds,  and  affords  some  sport  even  to 
adults  when  bigger  birds  are  absent.  Bates,  who  is 
most  familiar  with  shore-bird  shooting  as  practised  on 
the  Massachusetts  coast,  says  this  bird  is  deservedly  a 
favorite  with  sportsmen,  both  from  its  beautiful  plu- 
mage and  for  its  edible  qualities.  They  feed  on  the 
sandy  flats,  and  in  the  autumn  are  easily  captured, 
any  boy  being  able  to  walk  them  up,  or  call  them 
down.  Audubon  says  the  bird  is  considered  excel- 
lent eating.  I  shot  most  of  my  dunlins  when  a  boy, 
and  can  hardly  regard  them  as  game  birds  for  adults. 
Think  of  a  dunlin  in  a  bag  with  the  ruffed  or  prairie 
grouse,  the  partridge,^woodcock,  snipe,  teal,  canvas- 
back,  or  mallard ! 

The  red-back  is  often  called  black-bellied  sandpiper; 


298  SHORE   BIRDS 

the  cinnamon  markings  on  the  back  and  the  large 
black  patch  on  the  belly  suggesting  the  names.  It  is 
well  to  know  that  in  the  winter  the  upper  parts  are 
mottled  gray  and  the  under  parts  white.  The  birds 
are  no  longer  ''  red-backs,"  or  ''  black-bellies."  The 
European  bird  is  a  slightly  smaller  bird ;  otherwise  the 
same. 

IV. — THE   MARBLED    GODWIT 

The  godwits  somewhat  resemble  the  curlews  and 
are  found  often  associating  with  them.  They  are 
easily  distinguished  ;  the  bills  of  the  godwits  are  nearly 
straight,  or  slightly  curved  upward.  The  bills  of  all 
curlews  have  a  decided  downward  curve.  There  are 
in  all  four  godwits  found  in  North  America,  but  the 
marbled  god  wit  and  Hudsonian  only  are  important. 
The  Pacific  godwit  is  an  Asiatic  bird,  found  also  in 
Alaska,  and  as  an  occasional  visitor  to  California.  The 
black-tailed  godwit  is  very  similar  to  the  Hudsonian, 
and  represents  the  latter  in  the  old  world  ;  an  oc- 
casional specimen  has  been  seen  in  Greenland. 

The  marbled  godwit  is  found  throughout  North 
America.  With  the  other  waders  it  comes  to  the 
Atlantic  coast  in  April  or  early  in  May,  and  returns 
again  in  the  late  summer.  The  centre  of  its  abun- 
dance in  summer,  and  its  main  breeding-ground,  is  ap- 
parently, says  Coues,  the  Northern  Mississippi  and 
Eastern  Missouri  regions  and  thence  to  the  Saskatche- 
wan ;  for,  unlike  its  relative  (L.  Hudsonica),  it  does  not 
proceed  very  far  north  to  nest.  It  breeds  in  Iowa 
and  in  Minnesota  and  Eastern  Dakota,  where  I  ob- 
served it  in  June,  and  where  the  eggs  have  been  pro- 


OTHER   SNIPES   AND   SANDPIPERS    299 

cured.  It  is  found  with  the  field  plover  and  curlew 
nesting  on  the  plains,  and  Dr.  Coues  says  that  in  its 
habits  at  this  season  it  most  nearly  resembles  the  cur- 
lew, and  that  the  two  species,  of  much  the  same  size 
and  general  appearance,  might  readily  be  mistaken  at 
a  distance,  where  the  difference  in  the  bill  might  not 
be  perceived.  The  godwit  is  wild  and  difficult  to  ap- 
proach. It  is  shot  over  decoys,  and,  like  many  other 
varieties,  these  birds  return  again  to  the  dead  and  dying 
after  a  shot  has  been  fired.  They  are  often  called  red 
curlew,  straight-billed  curlew,  marlin,  and  have  other 
local  names. 

V. — THE  HUDSONIAN  GODWIT 
This  bird  is  somewhat  smaller  than  the  preceding. 
It  is  found  upon  its  migration  about  the  Eastern  coast, 
but  is  never  abundant.  It  is  found  also  in  the  interior, 
but  does  not  go  to  the  Pacific  coast,  except  in  Alaska. 
I  have  seen  the  godwits  only  in  Dakota,  and  have  shot 
but  a  few  of  them,  usually  without  decoys,  when  in  the 
pursuit  of  other  game.  I  have  approached  quite  close 
to  them  when  they  were  feeding  on  the  margin  of 
ponds  in  the  West,  and  do  not  regard  them  as  difficult 
marks. 

VI. — THE    GREATER  YELLOW-LEGS 

The  greater  yellow-legs  and  the  lesser  yellow-legs 
are  identical  in  pattern  and  color.  A  photograph  of 
one  would  do  for  the  portrait  of  the  other  were  there 
nothing  to  indicate  the  size.  They  are  different  birds, 
although  one  might  bt  taken  for  the  young  of  the 
other.  From  their  loud,  shrill  whistle,  sounded  in 
notes,  often  repeated,  they  are  called  tattlers,  yelpers, 


300  SHORE   BIRDS 

and  telltales.  They  often  come  whistling-  past  the 
gunner  when  he  is  shooting  wood-duck  or  teal  in 
September,  and  upon  such  occasions  and  when  snipe- 
shooting  in  the  spring  I  have  killed  many  of  them.  I 
had  a  chance  to  observe  them  quite  closely  a  year  ago 
in  the  autumn,  when  sketching  in  the  Ottawa  marshes 
south  of  Lake  Erie.  One  day  I  had  for  some  time  a 
lot  of  these  birds  quite  near  me,  and  there  were  also 
in  the  water  beyond  mallards,  teal,  dusky  ducks,  and 
some  others,  all  within  range,  and  a  number  of  snipe 
were  boring  along  the  shore.  It  was  just  before  the 
shooting  season  opened,  and  the  birds  were  on  the 
preserve  of  the  VVinous  Point  Club. 

The  yellow-legs  are  marked  with  black  and  white. 
The  head,  neck,  and  under  parts  are  w^hite  streaked 
with  black.  The  lesser  bird  is  about  the  size  of  the 
Wilson  snipe  ;  the  other  is  considerably  larger.  They 
are  easily  distinguished  by  their  long  legs,  which  are 
of  a  bright  Naples  yellow.  They  are  found  along  the 
sea-shore  and  were  formerly  abundant,  but  they  are 
now  far  more  numerous  about  the  Western  ponds 
than  in  the  East.  They  come  well  to  the  decoys, 
especially  when  the  gunner  is  familiar  with  and  can 
imitate  their  whistle. 

The  greater  yellow-legs  breeds  in  the  far  North, 
occasionally  in  the  United  States.  I  have  shot  these 
birds  in  many  places,  more  often  in  Ohio,  Indiana* 
Illinois,  and  Dakota  when  in  pursuit  of  other  game.  I 
have  not  the  patience  required  to  sit  in  a  blind  and 
whistle  bay  birds  when  there  are  snipe  on  the  mead- 
ows or  woodcock  in  the  woods  or  wood-duck  or  teal 
to  be  "jumped"  out  of  the  wild  rice.     Imuch  prefer 


OTHER   SNIPES  AND   SANDPIPERS    301 

to  move  about  and  go  in  pursuit  rather  than  lie  in 
ambush. 

I  was  once  shooting  snipe  in  Indiana  on  some  excel- 
lent ground  owned  by  a  club  of  Chicago  gentlemen, 
and  observed  four  of  the  larger  yellow-legs  on  a 
muddy  bar  at  the  upper  end  of  a  diminutive  island  in 
a  shallow  prairie  river.  I  waded  to  the  lower  end  of 
the  island  and  moved  forward — slowly  until  within 
easy  range  of  the  birds,  and  not  caring  much  whether 
I  bagged  them  or  not,  I  determined  to  try  for  three 
with  two  barrels  (on  the  wing,  of  course).  As  they 
arose,  two  of  the  birds  flew  toward  each  other,  and 
waiting  until  they  were  close  together,  I  killed  them 
both  and  shot  a  third  bird  with  the  remaining  barrel. 
The  survivor  went  off  rapidly,  whistling  loudly ;  but 
when  I  whistled,  to  him  he  missed  his  companions,  and 
returning,  passed  within  range,  and  firing  a  little  ahead 
of  him,  I  tumbled  him  into  the  river.  The  birds  were 
unusually  fine,  large  specimens  and  looked  well  in  the 
bag  of  snipe. 

The  fishy  flavor  of  these  birds  when  taken  on  the 
coast  is  not  so  apparent  in  the  Western  birds,  but 
I  do  not  care  much  for  them  in  the  field  or  on  the 
table.  They  are  not  difficult  marks.  They  have  al- 
ways brought  good  prices  in  the  markets,  are  always 
taken  by  sportsmen,  and  are  properly  ranked  with 
the  shore  birds  of  the  second  class,  giving  first  place 
always  to  the  woodcock,  snipe,  and  upland  plover. 

VII. — THE   LESSER  YELLOW-LEGS 

All  that  has  been  said  of  the  greater  yellow-legs 
applies  to  the  lesser,  which  is  much  more  abundant 
everywhere.    I  have  seen  these  birds  in  the  West  often 


302  SHORE   BIRDS 

too  tame  to  need  decoys,  and  on  several  occasions  1 
have  shot  at  them  until  the  gun  became  hot,  and  have 
made  large  bags  without  concealment  of  any  kind. 

One  day  when  shooting  sharp-tailed  grouse,  as  I  ap- 
proached Fort  Totten,  where  I  was  visiting  an  army 
officer,  I  saw  an  immense  number  of  these  birds  about 
the  muddy  margin  of  a  shallow  alkaline  lake.  As 
those  nearest  took  wing,  I  fired,  killing  a  half-dozen  or 
more  with  my  two  barrels.  The  many  flocks  about 
the  lake  all  arose  at  the  report  of  the  gun,  and  the  air 
w^as  full  of  yellow-legs,  many  wheeling  past  or  over- 
head, and  circling  about,  often  alighting  again  within 
range.  I  was  in  excellent  practice,  and  shot  rapidly, 
making  few  misses.  My  setter  kept  busy  for  a  time 
retrieving,  and  often  brought  several  birds  at  once.  I 
was  entirely  too  fast  for  him,  however,  and  brought 
down  ten  or  a  dozen  birds  while  he  retrieved  one. 
After  galloping  about  in  the  mud  in  pursuit  of  a 
wounded  bird  with  another  in  his  mouth,  he  became 
disgusted  with  the  sport  and  retired  to  the  grass  and 
declined  to  retrieve  more.  It  occurred  to  me  that  I 
had  all  that  could  be  used  at  the  garrison,  and  I  ceased 
firing,  while  there  were  still  many  birds  flying  about 
within  range.  I  gathered  several  dozen  birds  which 
fell  where  the  walking  was  good,  but  had  to  abandon 
as  many  more  which  fell  in  the  deep  mud,  the  dog 
positively  refusing  to  be  a  party  to  such  slaughter. 

Although  I  often  saw  these  birds  very  abundant,  I 
did  not  again  shoot  at  them,  since  they  were  not  as  de- 
sirable as  the  grouse,  mallards,  teal,  gad  walls,  spoon- 
bills, and  other  ducks,  and  the  snipe  which  were  often 
flushed  about  the  margins  of  the  ponds. 


OTHER  SNIPES   AND   SANDPIPERS    303 


VIII. — THE   WILLET 

There  are  two  willets  so  much  alike  as  easily  to  be 
mistaken.  The  Eastern  variety  is  found  from  the  At- 
lantic westward  to  the  Mississippi.  The  Western  va- 
riety inhabits  the  western  portion  of  North  America 
to  the  Mississippi.  The  latter  bird,  according  to  the 
ornithologists,  is  a  little  larger  and  somewhat  grayer. 
Elliot  says  that  in  winter  the  two  forms  cannot  be 
distinguished  from  each  other,  save  possibly  by  the 
longer  bill  of  the  Western  variety,  "  though  this  is  not 
always  reliable."  As  I  have  had  occasion  to  remark, 
the  sportsmen  are  not  much  in  sympathy  with  ornitho- 
logical variety-makers,  especially  when  the  differences 
are  slight.  From  the  sportsman's  point  of  view  the 
Eastern  and  Western  willet  are  the  same.  There  is 
really  a  much  greater  difference  in  the  gunners  than 
in  the  game,  and  the  willets  and  other  slightly  shaded 
varieties  of  game  birds,  glancing  back  at  their  human 
enemies,  might  with  more  propriety  classify  them  as 
blondes,  brunettes,  or  red-heads. 

The  two  willets  are  found  often  in  the  same  locality. 
They  are  among  the  largest  and  best  of  the  bay  birds. 
Second  in  size  only  to  the  godwits  and  curlews,  their 
length  is  about  sixteen  inches. 

They  are,  when  pursued  at  all,  very  wild  and  wary 
and  difficult  to  approach.  They  are  more  often  shot 
when  flying  past  the  decoys  set  out  for  the  other 
waders,  and  do  not  come  to  the  decoys  nearly  so  well 
as  many  of  the  others.^  The  name  is  derived  from  the 
noisy  call  of  the  bird.     It  is  often  called  *'pil  willet." 


304  SHORE   BIRDS 

IX.— THE  LONG-BILLED   CURLEW 

This  bird  is  the  giant  among  waders.  It  is  nearly 
three  times  as  large  as  the  Wilson's  snipe.  The  long- 
billed  curlew  fly  in  an  angular  order,  like  the  wild 
geese,  a  single  bird  at  the  point  of  the  angle  leading. 
Their  loud,  shrill  cries  are  well  imitated  by  the  profes- 
sional bay-men  and  some  sportsmen,  and  they  come 
readily  to  the  decoys  when  the  call  is  well  imitated. 
As  they  come  flapping  up  or  sail  on  extended  wings 
they  present  a  large,  easy  mark  similar  to  ducks  hover- 
ing over  decoys,  but  far  easier.  Elliot  describes  kill- 
ing a  pair  of  these  birds  from  a  flock  passing  overhead, 
when  the  others  returned  to  their  wounded  compan- 
ions, flying  over  and  around  them,  and  says  repeated 
discharges  failed  for  a  time  to  drive  the  unwounded 
away.  The  flesh  has  the  same  sedgy  or  fishy  taste 
when  these  birds  are  taken  along  shore,  but  is  better 
when  they  are  shot  on  the  Western  prairies. 

X. — THE   HUDSONIAN   CURLEW 

The  Hudsonian  curlew,  popularly  known  as  the  Jack 
curlew,  nests  in  the  far  North  and  returns  to*  the  States 
with  the  other  waders  toward  the  end  of  summer.  It 
is  not  numerous  anywhere  and  is  the  least  abundant  of 
our  curlews.  It  has  many  local  names,  such  as  crooked- 
bill  marlin,  whimbrel,  horsefoot-marlin,  etc.  They  are 
fairly  good  to  eat  and  are  always  shot  by  sportsmen 
when  the  opportunity  is  presented,  as  it  now  rarely  is. 
Elliot  says  the  birds  were  once  abundant  in  New 
Jersey, 


OTHER  SNIPES   AND   SANDPIPERS    305 

XI. — THE   ESKIMO   CURLEW 

This  is  the  smallest  but  most  abundant  of  the  curlews. 
Its  bill,  like  the  others,  is  long  and  curved  downward. 
It  is  much  like  the  Hudsonian,  only  smaller,  the  length 
of  the  former  being  seventeen  inches  and  of  the  latter 
about  thirteen  inches — the  length  of  the  woodcock,  it 
will  be  remembered,  is  nine  and  a  half  to  ten  inches. 

The  Eskimo  curlew,  when  migrating  in  the  spring 
and  early  autumn,  are  found  in  immense  numbers  on 
favorite  feeding  grounds  in  the  Missouri  region.  Dr. 
Coues  saw  numerous  flocks  containing  fifty  to  several 
hundred  birds  on  the  prairies  along  the  road  between 
Fort  Randall  and  Yankton.  They  were  scattered 
everywhere,  dotting  the  prairie  with  the  Bartramian 
sandpipers  and  golden  plovers  in  large  loose  flocks, 
which,  as  they  fed,  kept  up  a  continuous  low  piping 
noise  as  if  conversing  with  each  other. 

They  respond  to  the  whistle  and  come  well  to  de- 
coys. They  are  rapid  flyers,  but  fly  so  closely  together 
that  it  is  possible  to  kill  quite  a  number  at  a  shot.  The 
smaller  flocks  decoy  better  than  the  larger.  They  are 
excellent  table  birds  when  found  on  the  Western 
prairies,  since,  like  the  Bartramian  sandpiper,  they  are 
fond  of  grasshoppers,  which,  as  we  have  observed,  are 
excellent  food,  giving  even  to  the  sage-grouse  a  fine 
flavor.  They  also  eat  berries  and  small  snails.  They 
are  more  abundant  in  the  West  than  on  the  coast. 

XII. — THE   PECTORAL  SANDPIPER 

I  have  no  hesitation  in  admitting  the  pectoral  sand- 
piper to  my  list  of  game.     Although   much  smaller 


3o6  SHORE  BIRDS 

than  the  other  wading  birds  excepting  the  dunlin,  he 
is  a  good  mark  and  is  very  good  to  eat.  He  feeds  in 
the  salt  meadows,  lies  to  the  dog,  and  can  be  walked 
up  and  flushed  like  upland  birds,  a  game-like  quality 
sufficient  to  admit  him  to  the  list.  Audubon  pro- 
nounces his  flesh  juicy  and  well-flavored.  When  pro- 
cured late  in  the  season,  he  says,  ''  I  think  it  superior 
to  any  of  our  shore  birds,  and  I  have  partaken  of  it 
when  I  have  thought  it  equal  to  any  of  our  upland 
game." 

These  sandpipers  do  not  associate  much  in  flocks 
like  the  others.  They  are  found  scattered  about  feed- 
ing upon  the  meadows  singly  or  in  pairs.  They  are 
not  very  wild  birds,  and  when  approached  arise  and 
fly  but  a  short  distance,  uttering  a  single  *'  tweet." 
They  sometimes,  when  much  startled,  spring  quickly 
with  loud  repeated  cries,  and  make  off  in  a  zigzag 
course  much  like  the  common  snipe. 

I  have  had  considerable  sport  with  these  birds  on 
the  salt  meadows  walking  them  up  without  a  dog,  and 
on  several  occasions  I  have  made  a  good  bag  of  them 
with  a  few  of  the  other  varieties.  No.  lo  is  the  proper 
shot,  since  they  are  small  marks,  and  the  shot  is  usually 
at  close  range. 

These  birds  are  met  with  in  the  interior  as  well  as 
along  the  coast.  Elliot  observes  that  they  do  not  seem 
to  go  southward  by  way  of  the  coast  line  of  California, 
probably  migrating  inland  to  Central  America  and  so 
onward  to  Chili  by  way  of  the  shore. 


XLIV 

THE   PLOVERS 

THERE  are,  including  the  European  golden  plover, 
an  occasional  visitor,  and  several  other  extra  limit- 
al  birds,  fifteen  plover  on  the  check-list  of  North  Ameri- 
can birds.  Most  of  these  birds  (although  it  is  lawful 
everywhere  to  shoot  them  at  certain  seasons)  are  unde- 
sirable as  marks,  on  account  of  their  size,  and  their  flesh 
is  not  sufficiently  good  to  warrant  the  killing.  I  would 
strongly  urge  sportsmen  to  spare  the  ring-plover,  the 
little  ring,  the  piping,  the  snowy,  and  semi-palmated 
plover  and  the  others — even  the  familiar  kill-deer, 
which  I  must  confess  has  more  than  once  called  for  a 
shot  from  my  gun  as  he  sailed  overhead  uttering  the 
shrill  whistle  which  gave  him  his  name. 

The  plovers  are  distinguished  from  the  snipes  and 
sandpipers  by  their  bill,  which  is  more  pigeon-shaped. 
The  bill  of  the  snipes  and  sandpipers  is  longer  and 
slimmer.  We  have  observed  that  the  best  of  all  the 
plovers  of  the  sportsmen  is  not  a  plover  but  a  sand- 
piper. 

Of  the  true  plovers,  the  only  birds  worthy  of  the 
sportsman's  attention  are  the  American  golden  plover 
and  the  black-bellied  plover,  the  European  golden 
plover,  a  rare  visitor  ;  the  Pacific  golden  plover,  which 
is,  from  the  sportsman's«point  of  view,  the  same  as  the 
American  golden  plover,  and  the  mountain  plover. 
Of  these  in  their  order. 

307 


3o8  SHORE   BIRDS 

THE   GOLDEN   PLOVER 

The  golden  plover,  familiarly  known  in  the  West  as 
golden  back  and  bull-head,  takes  its  name  from  the 
yellow  or  golden  dots  on  its  back.  It  is  a  fine  large 
bird  with  black  breast  and  head  ;  the  forehead  white 
and  a  white  stripe  over  the  eye.  The  upper  parts  are 
brownish  black,  beautifully  mottled  with  yellow  and 
white.     The  golden  dots  render  it  unmistakable. 

Shortly  after  the  arrival  of  the  snipe,  in  the  spring, 
one  may  look  for  the  golden  plover.  The  date  of  their 
arrival  in  the  Northern  States  is  dependent  upon  the 
iveather.  Not  a  bird  will  be  found  until  the  frost  is 
well  out  of  the  ground.  Many  birds  usually  arrive  in 
April,  but,  as  Mr.  Hough  says,  the  first  of  May  can 
roughly  be  called  their  date.  By  the  last  of  that 
month  they  have  departed  for  their  breeding  grounds 
in  British  America  and  north  to  the  Arctic  shores. 
Before  they  have  left  us  they  have  paired,  and  it  is 
without  doubt  wrong  to  shoot  them  in  the  spring,  and 
the  shooting  at  this  time  should  be  prohibited  by 
legislation.  I  have  had  excellent  sport  with  these 
birds  when  snipe  shooting  in  the  spring  on  the  West- 
ern prairies,  when  the  birds  were  so  abundant  as  to 
seem  to  need  no  legislation ;  but  they  come  each  year 
in  greatly  diminished  numbers,  and  are  seen  no  more 
to-day  in  some  places  where  they  were  very  abundant 
a  few  years  ago.  The  salvation  of  this  bird  depends 
upon  the  stopping  of  the  spring  shooting.  The  plover 
return  to  the  United  States  the  last  of  August  or  dur- 
ing September.  They  are  found  in  flocks,  often  con- 
taining   many  birds,  and  as   they   run   about  on  the 


THE   PLOVERS  309 

prairie,  they  appear  as  large  as  pigeons  (larger  than 
they  are),  and  they  are  called  prairie  pigeons  in  some 
localities.  This  name  is,  however,  more  often  applied 
to  the  field  plover  or  sandpiper. 

The  golden  plover  is  shot  by  the  bay-men  and 
sportsmen  over  decoys,  as  it  travels  north  and  south 
along  the  coast,  and  it  responds  well  to  an  imitation  of 
its  whistle,  which  Mr.  Hough  has  attempted  to  give 
phonetically  as  a  keen  *'  Whit !  wheet — wheet — whit!  '* 
There  are  plover  calls  on  the  market  which  give  a 
fair  imitation  of  their  whistle,  but  the  market  gunners 
do  not  rely  on  these. 

Elliot  says  the  golden  plover  goes  mostly  by  the  sea- 
coast  in  its  migrations ;  or,  if  the  weather  be  favorable, 
far  out  at  sea,  making  but  few  stops  in  the  long  jour- 
ney. I  have  never  seen  any  such  numbers  about  the 
coast  as  I  have  observed  on  the  Western  prairies,  and 
I  am  quite  satisfied  that  fully  as  many  and  in  fact 
more  birds  pass  inland  across  the  continent. 

In  Illinois  and  Indiana  a  few  years  ago  the  number 
of  plovers  to  be  seen  on  the  prairies  was  truly  re- 
markable. I  have  seen  flocks  containing  hundreds  of 
birds  scattered  about  in  every  direction  and  flying 
from  one  feeding  ground  to  another. 

Plover  shooting  over  decoys  is  still  a  favorite  amuse- 
ment with  many  Western  sportsmen.  It  is  almost  im- 
possible to  stalk  them  without  the  aid  of  a  horse  or 
vehicle.  I  have  repeatedly,  when  snipe  shooting,  at- 
tempted to  walk  near  a  flock  of  these  birds  when  they 
appeared  not  very  wild^  but  notwithstanding  I  resorted 
to  the  artifice  of  seeming  to  pass  them,  as  one  would 
drive  for  them  in  a  vehicle,  they  always  took  wing  just 


310  SHORE   BIRDS 

before  I  came  within  range  and  seemed  to  estimate  the 
distance  to  a  nicety,  continuing  to  run  about  and  feed 
until  the  last  safe  moment. 

The  sportsman  going  out  to  shoot  golden  plover 
should  observe,  like  the  duck  shooter,  what  the  birds 
are  doing.  Upon  a  careful  survey  of  the  ground  it 
will  be  apparent  often  that  the  birds  are  moving  in 
certain  directions,  flying  from  one  feeding  ground  to 
another  and  passing  over  certain  fields,  and  it  is  on 
the  line  of  flight  or  on  some  favorite  feeding  spot 
that  the  decoys  should  be  set  out.  The  decoys  may 
be  had  at  the  gun  stores  and  are  usually  made  of  wood 
or  tin,  with  a  peg  to  stand  them  on  in  the  mud  ;  the 
dead  birds  can  be  used  to  advantage,  standing  them 
up  among  the  decoys  by  means  of  sticks,  as  the  duck 
shooter  often  sets  up  his  ducks.  A  few  sticks  carried 
in  the  shooting-coat  for  this  purpose  will  be  found  use- 
ful on  the  prairie  where  it  is  impossible  to  find  any. 

I  have  more  often  shot  these  plovers  from  a  blind, 
getting  under  their  line  of  flight  and  without  decoys, 
but  much  larger  bags  can  be  made  with  decoys — espe- 
cially if  the  sportsman  is  skilful  in  calling  or  whistling 
the  birds. 

I  was  once  shooting  snipe  in  Northern  Indiana  and 
finding  but  few  birds,  I  decided  to  devote  the  day  to 
the  golden  plover,  which  were  exceedingly  abundant, 
flock  after  flock  crossing  the  same  field  in  rapid  suc- 
cession. Taking  my  stand  at  a  fence  w^ith  a  few 
bushes  and  small  trees  as  a  blind,  I  ordered  the  dogs 
down  and  soon  had  some  rapid  shooting. 

The  flocks  were  not  large  and  at  no  time  did  I  kil) 
many  birds  at  a  shot,  but  I  repeatedly  killed  two  or 


THE   PLOVERS  311 

three,  more  often  one,  or  one  with  each  barrel,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  I  had  a  very  fine  bag  of  birds. 
My  shooting  companions,  when  we  met  at  the  vil- 
lage hotel,  expressed  surprise  that  I  should  have  so 
many  plover.  They  knew  I  had  no  decoys  and  was 
a  poor  hand  at  calling.  They,  too,  had  tried  for  the 
birds  all  day  with  no  success,  having  endeavored  to 
stalk  them.  When  I  explained  my  method  of  letting 
the  birds  come  to  me  on  their  line  of  flight,  they 
determined  to  try  it,  and  had  no  trouble  in  getting 
some  excellent  shooting. 

Upon  another  occasion,  when  out  for  snipe,  I  ob- 
served as  I  walked  down  a  road  that  the  plover  were 
crossing  it  at  a  certain  point,  and  stopping  in  the  fence 
corner  with  little  concealment  I  had  some  very  good 
shooting. 

In  Texas  and  some  of  the  other  prairie  States  these 
birds  are  shot  by  stalking  them  in  a  vehicle  or  on  horse- 
back in  the  same  way  already  described  for  taking  the 
upland  plover  or  Bartramian  sandpiper.  On  the  vast 
prairies  where  there  are  few  fences  this  is  very  good 
sport,  but  a  horse  which  can  jump  a  wire  fence  is  bet- 
ter than  a  vehicle,  which  must  often  necessarily  make 
a  long  detour  to  follow  the  birds  to  an  adjoining  field. 

Since  I  have  joined  the  ranks  of  those  opposed  to 
spring  shooting  I  do  not  expect  again  to  shoot  much  at 
plover.  In  September,  the  prairie-grouse,  the  snipe, 
the  wood-duck,  and  teal  are  more  inviting,  and  I  then 
have  no  time  to  learn  to  whistle  the  golden  plover  or 
study  the  setting  of  the  decoys. 

Hough  well  says  that  to  be  successful  you  must  be 
an  expert  plover-shooter,  and  to  be  an  expert  you  must 


312  SHORE  BIRDS 

call  the  birds.  This  requires  constant  practice  in  the 
field,  and  the  proficiency  with  which  one  can  execute 
the  call  is  about  the  measure  of  his  success  at  golden- 
plover  shooting.  It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to 
make  a  mistake  in  setting  out  the  decoys  which  shall 
cost  you  half  your  birds.  You  do  not  want  the  wind 
to  blow  across  your  blind  to  the  decoys  or  across  the 
decoys  toward  your  blind.  The  decoys  must  be  at 
one  side  of  the  blind.  Suppose  the  wind  is  blowing 
from  the  east  to  the  west,  you  put  out  your  decoys  to 
the  north  of  your  blind  and  not  to  the  east  or  west. 
The  decoys  should  be  set  out  in  a  longish  line,  rather 
wedge-shaped,  point  down  the  wind  and  all  at  easy 
gun-range — not  too  close.  Hearing  the  call  the  birds 
swing,  cross  over  and  come  up  wind  to  alight  among 
the  decoys. 

The  same  writer  advises  the  sportsman  not  to  fire  at 
the  leading  birds,  but  at  the  "  middle-oblique  "  of  the 
flock,  when  the  charge  will  rake  the  flock.  As  the 
remnant  double  up,  he  says,  the  second  barrel  held  till 
the  right  time  goes  far  toward  completing  the  work. 
At  the  sound  of  his  deceitful  whistle  the  birds  will 
often  return  again  to  the  decoys,  and  twenty,  thirty,  or 
forty  birds  may  fall  to  your  gun  from  one  flock.  If 
you  get  only  six  or  eight,  your  friend  and  possible  com- 
panion, the  market-gunner,  would  laugh  at  you.  Two 
hundred  in  a  day,  i,ooo  in  a  week — you  can  do  this  in 
Northern  Illinois  even  to-day  if  you  have  the  natural 
heart  for  butchery. 

I  have  already  advised  the  shooting  for  single  birds 
when  shooting  at  a  flock  of  bay  birds,  and  the  same 
shot  should  be  made  by  sportsmen  at  golden  plover 


THE  PLOVERS  313 

on  the  prairie.  I  must  admit  the  pot-shot  where  the 
birds  are  thickest  is  most  tempting  to  a  novice ;  but  it 
is  butchery  like  this  which  causes  the  birds  to  vanish 
from  localities  where  they  were  most  abundant. 

The  proper  gun  is  the  twelve-gauge  loaded  with  No. 
8  shot,  or  No.  7  if  the  birds  are  wild.  I  would  advise 
the  taking  of  shells  loaded  with  both  numbers,  and  a 
few  with  No.  6  for  a  passing  teal  or  wood-duck. 

A  friend  with  whom  I  used  to  shoot  snipe  and  plover 
once  saw  a  market-gunner  arise  from  his  blind  and 
throw  his  felt  hat  at  a  large  flock  before  firing.  The 
birds  bunched  as  they  wheeled  in  a  fright,  mistaking 
the  hat  (in  the  opinion  of  the  market-gunner)  for  a 
hawk,  and  an  immense  number  was  killed  with  two 
barrels. 

The  European  golden  plover  is  very  similar  to  the 
American  ;  so  closely  does  it  resemble  it  in  fact  that 
the  birds  might  be  mistaken  easily.  Dr.  Coues  gives 
it  as  his  opinion  that  our  golden  plover  may  always  be 
distinguished  by  the  color  of  the  lining  of  the  wings, 
which  is  pure  white  in  the  European  and  ashy-gray  in 
the  American  species.  The  Pacific  golden  plover  has 
the  same  habits  and  closely  resembles  the  American 
golden  plover.  The  only  difference  is  its  smaller  size 
and  "  more  golden  hue."  With  such  slight  variations 
the  sportsman  has  nothing  to  do. 

THE   BLACK-BELLIED   PLOVER 

This  variety  is  not  infrequently  mistaken  for  the 
golden  plover,  but  can  aasily  be  distinguished,  as  Elliot 
says,  at  all  ages  by  its  having  the  axillary  plumes  (the 
long  feathers  growing  from  the  armpit  and  seen  under- 


314  SHORE   BIRDS 

neath  the  wing)  black  ;  whereas,  in  the  other  species, 
these  are  white.  This  bird  arrives  at  the  same  time 
with  the  g-olden  plover,  passing  northward  in  May 
and  returning  in  August  or  September.  Elliot  says 
that  these  birds  are  more  numerous  along  the  sea- 
coasts,  but  this  seems  to  me  to  be  incredible,  since  there 
are  legions  of  them  at  times  in  Kansas,  Nebraska,  and 
the  Dakotas.* 

"  Along  the  coasts  the  birds  feed  in  the  salt  marshes 
and  about  the  fiats  and  ponds,  their  food  being  insects 
and  shell-fish,  which  imparts  the  fishy  flavor  to  their 
flesh.  On  the  Western  uplands,  where  they  feed  on 
grasshoppers,  these  birds  are  excellent  for  the  table. 

These  birds  come  well  to  the  decoys  and  are  shot 
with  the  golden  plover,  and  that  which  was  said  with 
reference  to  the  shooting  of  the  golden  plover  applies 
equally  well  to  them. 

THE   MOUNTAIN   PLOVER 

This  bird  is  a  true  prairie  plover,  never  resorting  to 
the  beach,  but  dwelling  upon  the  plains  away  from  the 
water,  "  preferring  the  grassy  districts  "  ;  and  is  some- 
times found  in  sterile  tracts  covered  with  sage-brush. 
It  is  very  numerous  in  New  Mexico  and  Arizona  and 
Southern  California.  It  feeds  upon  insects,  such  as 
grasshoppers,  crickets,  beetles,  ticks,  and  possibly 
worms,  and  is  often  fat  and  in  fine  condition.  This 
bird  presents  a  fair  mark  and  is  good  to  eat,  and  it 
may  be  considered  game,  but  it  is  of  little  importance, 
since  it  is  found  in  localities  where  much  better  birds 
are  abundant. 

The  other  plovers,  of  no  importance  to  sportsmen, 

*  See  Appendix,  No.  95. 


THE   PLOVERS  315 

excepting  to  those  who  shoot  only  on  beaches  where 
everything  larger  has  about  been  exterminated,  are 
the  ring-necks  or  semi-palmated  plovers,  small  migra- 
tory birds  which  are  found  usually  on  the  sandy  shores, 
living  on  minute  insects  and  shell-fish,  and  in  the  in- 
terior about  the  margins  of  ponds  and  rivers.  They 
run  away  frequently  as  one  approaches,  or  fly  for  a 
short  distance  and  at  once  begin  feeding  again  in  a 
most  unsuspicious  way.  The  European  ring-neck  and 
the  little  ring-plover  are  European  species.  The  Wil- 
son's plover  is  similar  to  the  semi-palmated,  and  is 
found  on  both  coasts  from  Long  Island  and  California 
south.  The  piping  plover  is  another  shore  bird  some- 
what more  wary.  It  runs  with  great  rapidity  and  flies 
short  distances.  When  fat  it  is  fairly  good  to  eat.  I 
have  shot  them  with  the  others  for  want  of  something 
better  to  do,  but  should  not  regret  seeing  them  pro- 
tected at  all  times  by  law.  The  belted  piper  and  the 
snowy  plover  are  small  varieties  found  in  the  West, 
the  latter  in  the  far  West,  from  Salt  Lake  to  the 
Pacific,  and  is  common  on  the^ea-coast  of  California. 


XLV 

OTHER  VARIETIES   OF   SHORE   BIRDS 

THERE  are  twelve  species  of  avocets  and  stilts 
throughout  the  world.  But  two  are  found  in 
North  America — the  black-necked  stilt  and  the  Ameri- 
can avocet. 

Avocets  and  stilts  are  easily  distinguished  b}^  their 
great  size,  long  legs,  and  bills  which  curve  slightly  up- 
ward, and  which  suggested  the  technical  name  {Recttr- 
virostrd).  The  legs  of  the  stilt  are  a  rosy  lake,  or  flesh 
color.     The  legs  of  the  avocet  are  pale  blue. 

AMERICAN  AVOCET 

The  avocets  are  fairly  abundant  in  the  West,  but  are 
rare  birds  in  the  Eastern  States.  They  are  occasion- 
ally found  in  the  markets  with  other  game  from  the 
Mississippi  valley.  I  have  observed  them  on  the 
plains  when  shooting  sharp-tailed  grouse.  On  one 
occasion  before  daybreak  I  drove  out  from  Fort  Tot- 
ten,  N.  D.,  to  a  small  lake  which  was  much  frequented 
by  geese,  brant,  and  many  varieties  of  ducks.  The 
plain  was  some  feet  higher  than  the  water  and  bluffed 
down  to  a  muddy  beach.  When  the  first  light  of  day 
was  showing  in  the  east  I  had  taken  my  position  just 
above  the  muddy  flat,  and  the  gabbling  and  quacking 
below  promised  an  excellent  shot ;  but,  before  it  was 
light  enough  to  shoot,  all  of  the  geese  and  ducks  flew 

316 


OTHER   VARIETIES  317 

off  with  a  roar  of  wings  and  a  noisy  dripping  of  water. 
I  remained,  hoping  some  of  the  ducks  would  soon  re- 
turn, and  as  it  became  light  I  observed  an  immense 
number  of  shore  birds  at  the  edge  of  the  water.  There 
were  tattlers,  the  big  and  little  yellow-legs,  sandpipers, 
plovers  of  all  sizes,  and  among  them  were  several  avo- 
cets,  easily  distinguished  by  their  large  size.  Like 
feathered  giants  they  stalked  about  among  the  smaller 
birds. 

I  could  easily  have  killed  a  number,  but  I  had  heavy 
loads  in  the  gun  and  was  really  out  for  geese,  so  did 
not  disturb  them  at  their  breakfast.  I  remained  some 
time  to  observe  them,  and  then  slipped  down  the  bank 
to  arrange  a  blind  nearer  the  water ;  the  avocets  flew 
out  over  the  lake  a  short  distance,  and  returning, 
alighted  near  by,  elevated  their  wings  for  a  moment 
and  went  to  feeding  again.  It  was  a  warm  Indian 
summer  day,  the  sun  shone  bright  on  the  placid  waters 
and  the  geese  and  ducks  did  not  move  about  much. 
My  companion  went  to  sleep  in  his  blind,  and  a  pair  of 
mallards  which  settled  to  his  decoys  were  undisturbed 
until  I  fired  a  long  shot  at  them  from  my  ambush. 
My  companion  jumped  up  in  time  to  see  the  mallards 
depart,  and  the  shore  birds  whistled  and  peeped,  and 
ran  or  flew  short  distances,  soon  to  return  to  their 
favorite  feeding  spots.  I  shot  a  few  ducks  during 
the  day,  but  did  not  point  the  gun  at  the  shore  birds. 
How  different  the  conditions  East  and  West !  How 
long  would  a  big  avocet  remain  unmolested  near  a 
blind  on  the  Atlantic  Coast  ? 

The  avocets  are  good  swimmers,  and  when  wounded 
often  take  to  the  water.     The  flesh  is  fairly  good,  about 


3i8  SHORE  BIRDS 

equal  to  that  of  the  other  shore  birds  of  the  second 
class,  such  as  the  tattlers. 

THE   BLACK-NECKED    STILT 

This  bird  evidently  was  named  for  its  legs.  Like 
the  avocets,  the  stilts  are  more  abundant  in  the  West 
than  in  the  Eastern  States.  Stilts  and  avocets  are 
often  seen  feeding  together. 

The  flight  of  the  stilt  is  swift  and  easily  maintained, 
and  in  its  progress  it  exhibits  "  alternately  the  upper 
and  under  side  of  the  body,  like  many  other  species  of 
the  LimicolcB,  affording  a  pleasing  contrast  from  the 
black  of  the  back  to  the  pure  white  of  the  under  parts, 
brightened  by  the  long  lake-red  legs  extending  be- 
neath and  be}' ond  the  tail." 

Stilts  are  usually  found  about  the  margins  of  bays 
and  ponds  or  streams;  wherever  they  are  found  in  any 
numbers  there  seem  to  be  many  other  waders,  and 
most  likely  some  of  the  avocets.  I  have  seen  them  only 
in  the  West,  where  they  were  by  comparison  of  no  im- 
portance to  a  sportsman.  Their  flesh  is  about  equal  to 
that  of  the  others  whose  company  they  keep. 

THE   PHALAROPES 

There  are  three  American  phalaropes:  the  red 
phalarope,  the  Northern  phalarope  and  the  Wilson's 
phalarope. 

The  name  is  of  Greek  derivation  and  means  "  coot- 
foot."  The  feet  of  the  phalaropes  are  said  to  resemble 
those  of  the  coot. 

The  two  birds  first  mentioned  are  about  the  size  of 
the  kill-deer  plover,    The  Wilson's  phalarope  is  a  little 


OTHER  VARIETIES  319 

larger,  the  female  measuring  nine  and  a  half  to  ten 
inches,  and  being  a  trifle  larger  always  than  the  male. 
All  phalaropes  have  this  striking  difference  from  other 
game — the  females  are  not  only  the  larger  and  hand- 
somer birds,  but  *'  do  the  courting  while  the  male  per- 
forms most  of  the  duties  of  incubation,  thus  affording 
an  instance  of  the  exercise  of  '  woman's  rights  '  in  the 
fullest  degree."  The  female  goes  through  all  the 
motions  of  love-making  and  pursues  the  male  about  as 
he  runs  or  flies  from  point  to  point,  and,  finally  having 
compelled  his  attention,  the  nest  is  constructed,  the 
eggs  are  laid  and  the  male  is  left  to  sit  upon  them, 
while  the  female  swims  about  upon  the  surface  of  the 
water  and  has  the  general  good  time  which  the  male 
of  other  birds  is  supposed  to  have  while  the  female  is 
engaged  in  incubation. 

The  red  phalarope  and  the  Northern  phalarope 
inhabit  the  northern  portions  of  both  hemispheres, 
migrating  southward  in  the  winter;  the  Wilson's  pha- 
larope is  distinctly  a  bird  of  the  New  World,  and  is  said 
to  be  more  of  an  inland  species  than  the  others,  being 
very  common  in  the  Mississippi  valley.  The  pha- 
laropes are  all  good  swimmers,  and  are  often  seen  on 
the  water. 

The  phalaropes  fly  swiftly  in  flocks,  and  it  is  not  a 
difficult  matter  to  kill  a  number  at  a  shot.  The  gun 
should  be  held  well  ahead  when  the  flock  is  passing  at 
a  distance.     No.  8  shot  is  the  proper  size. 

The  Wilson's  phalarope  does  not  go  as  far  north  as 
the  others,  and  is  said^to  breed  in  Northern  Illinois, 
Iowa,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  the  Dakotas,  Michigan, 
and  Oregon.     It  is  recorded  as  a  summer  resident  in 


320  SHORE   BIRDS 

Northern  Indiana  and  in  Western  Kansas.  Nelson 
says  it  is  the  most  common  species  in  Northern  Illinois, 
frequenting  grassy  marshes  and  low  prairies,  and  is 
not  exceeded  in  number  even  by  the  ever-present 
spotted  sandpiper.  While  it  was  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon birds  in  the  Calumet  region  it  is  now  becoming 
scarce. 

There  is  little  or  nothing  in  the  books  about  phala- 
ropes  as  objects  of  pursuit  or  as  food.  A  recent  writer 
in  a  magazine  says,  "  Although  these  birds  do  not  come 
distinctly  within  the  limits  of  my  definition  of  game,  I 
never  saw  a  sportsman  who  would  not  shoot  one,  and 
should  consider  him  lacking  in  mental  capacity  if  he 
did  not."  This  may  all  be  well  enough  on  the  Massa- 
chusetts coast,  but  it  is  not  so  in  Dakota,  where  the 
ducks  and  geese  are  sufficiently  abundant  to  call  forth 
the  humorous  statement  in  a  local  paper  that  their 
shadows  interfered  with  the  growth  of  the  crops. 

For  my  part  I  should  be  willing  to  see  these  pretty 
little  birds  legally  excluded  from  the  game  list  and 
left  to  pursue  their  strange  courtship  and  rear  their 
young  beside  the  ponds,  and  to  swim  about  on  the 
water  and  feed  along  the  shores. 


BOOK  IV 

CRANES,  RAILS,   AND    REED    BIRDS, 
WILD    PIGEONS   AND    DOVES 


XLVI 

THE  CRANES 

THERE  are  two  common  varieties  of  crane  in 
America,  the  white  or  whooping  crane  and  the 
brown  or  sand-hill  crane,  and  a  smaller  crane  known 
as  the  little  brown  crane,  which  is  very  similar  to  the 
sand-hill.  They  are  all  very  wild  and  wary  birds,  most 
difficult  to  stalk,  but  come  well  to  decoys  set  out  on 
their  feeding  grounds. 

An  occasional  crane  is  shot  by  a  sportsman  from  his 
duck-blind,  but  there  are  a  few  places  where  stands  of 
decoys  are  kept  for  these  birds.  Mr.  Sidney  South- 
wick,  writing  for  Recreation^  says :  *'  The  sand-hill  or 
gray  crane  is  fast  coming  into  favor  as  a  game  bird  on 
the  big  prairies  of  the  Northwest.  Indeed  it  already 
takes  rank  in  many  localities  as  the  equal  of  the  wild 
goose,  not  only  as  a  game  bird,  delighting  the  eye  and 
the  heart  of  the  sportsman,  but  also  as  a  table  delicacy 
of  excellent  flavor.  In  October  they  come  down  upon 
the  wheat  and  corn  fields  of  Minnesota,  Dakota,  North- 
ern Iowa,  and  Nebraska  in  immense  droves.  Indeed 
they  frequently  alight  in  the  fields  of  unhusked  corn  in 
such  destructive  throngs  that  the  farmer  is  compelled 
to  go  forth  musket  in  band  to  the  defence  of  his  crops. 
The  sportsman,  however,  has  no  complaint  to  offer  at 
this  state  of  affairs,  and  he  is  a  far  more  dangerous 

323 


324  THE   CRANES 

enemy  to  the  sand-hill  than   is  the  blustering   crop- 
owner." 

For  my  part  I  do  not  care  much  for  this  sport.  I 
have  only  seen  the  cranes  in  sufficient  numbers  to  make 
it  worth  while  to  go  in  pursuit  of  them  on  ground 
where  the  best  varieties  of  ducks  were  abundant,  and 
the  ducks  are  better  marks  to  test  one's  skill  and  vastly 
better  eating. 

The  cranes  are  large  birds,  and,  as  they  come  flapping 
up  to  the  decoys  or  sail  overhead,  seem  to  be  going 
much  slower  than  they  really  are.  I  do  not  regard 
them  as  difficult  marks,  but  the  sportsman  must  hold 
well  ahead  of  a  passing  bird  or  he  will  certainly  shoot 
behind  him. 

I  have  never  tried  but  once  to  stalk  the  sand-hill 
crane.  Upon  that  occasion  we  were  driving  on  the 
plains,  when  we  observed  a  flock  of  cranes  feeding 
upon  a  marshy  tract  a  long  distance  away.  I  stopped 
the  driver  (a  Sioux  Indian)  and  we  held  a  consultation 
as  to  the  propriety  of  stalking  them.  The  Indian  was 
quite  anxious  to  try  the  shot,  and  asked  for  a  gun  and 
permission  to  do  so.  I  was  desirous  of  seeing  him  un- 
dertake their  approach  and  was  confident  of  his  suc- 
cess, but  never  having  shot  a  crane  I  finally  decided  to 
try  for  the  shot.  Putting  a  tall  bunch  of  grass  or 
rushes  between  me  and  the  birds,  I  worked  carefully 
toward  them.  They  took  flight  at  long  range,  but  the 
heavy  charge  I  sent  after  them  brought  one  down  with 
a  broken  wing.  It  fell  far  out  on  the  marsh,  which  was 
overgrown  with  tall  rushes,  and  since  I  had  no  dog  I 
was  unable  to  recover  it. 

Mr.  Wells,  writing  for  Forest  and  Stream,  says  that 


THE  CRANES  325 

he  once  stalked  a  flock  of  white  crane  on  the  Platte, 
using  a  cow  as  a  screen  to  get  within  range. 

The  sand-hill  crane  is  abundant  in  the  autumn  and 
winter  in  California,  but  not  nearly  so  much  so  as  in 
former  years.  Many  are  shot  on  the  prairies  and  sold 
in  the  San  Francisco  markets.  Dr.  Maberry  says  that 
they  are  there  highly  esteemed  as  an  article  of  food. 

It  is  well  for  the  sportsman  to  remember  that  the 
crane  will  show  fight  when  wounded,  and  is  quite  a 
formidable  antagonist.  There  are  many  instances  on 
record  when  they  have  attacked  both  man  and  dog, 
and  great  care  should  be  exercised  in  approaching 
them.  The  quick  thrust  from  the  long,  sharp  bill  may 
cause  an  ugly  wound  or  put  out  an  eye.  It  is  well  to 
give  a  wounded  crane  the  second  barrel. 

The  white  crane  is  found  in  Texas  and  Florida,  and 
is  said  to  be  seen  occasionally  up  the  coast  as  far  as 
the  Middle  States. 

Dr.  Coues  says:  "  This  tall  and  stately  white  bird,  of 
the  most  imposing  appearance  of  any  in  this  country,  I 
have  only  seen  on  the  broad  prairies  or  soaring  on 
motionless  pinion  in  spiral  curves  high  overhead.  Its 
immense  stature  is  sometimes  singularly  exaggerated 
by  that  quality  of  the  prairie  air  which  magnifies  dis- 
tant objects  on  the  horizon,  transforming  sometimes  a 
weed  into  a  man  or  making  a  wild  turkey  excite  suspi- 
cion of  a  buffalo.  The  most  fabulous  accounts  of  a 
crane's  size  might  readily  arise  without  intentional  de- 
ception. I  have  known  a  person  to  mistake  a  sand-hill 
crane  for  one  of  his  stray  mules  and  go  in  search ;  and 
another  enthusiastic  teamster  once  declared  that  some 
he  saw  were  *  bigger  than  his  mule  team.*     Once  while 


326  THE   CRANES 

antelope-shooting  on  the  prairie  my  companion — a 
good  hunter — and  myself  saw  what  we  took  to  be  an 
antelope  standing  quietly  feeding  with  his  broad  white 
stern  toward  us  and  only  about  five  hundred  yards  off. 
We  attempted  for  at  least  fifteen  minutes  to  flag  the 
creature  up  to  us,  waving  a  handkerchief  on  a  ramrod 
in  the  most  approved  style.  This  proving  unavailing, 
my  friend  proceeded  to  stalk  the  game,  and  crawled  on 
his  belly  for  about  half  the  distance  before  the  *  ante- 
lope '  unfolded  his  broad  black-tipped  wrings  and 
flapped  off,  revealed  at  length  as  a  whooping  crane." 

I  was  once  shooting  mallard  on  the  margin  of  a 
Western  lake,  with  an  army  ofihcer.  The  day  was 
warm  and  bright,  and,  after  a  short  morning  flight,  the 
ducks  ceased  to  move  about,  and  we  retired  to  a  slight 
elevation,  ate  our  luncheon,  and  reclined  in  the  grass 
to  smoke  our  pipes  and  tell  tales  of  shooting  game  of 
all  sorts.  A  large  flock  of  white  cranes  arose  from  the 
marsh  and  flew  directly  toward  us,  ascending,  however, 
as  they  came,  far  beyond  our  range.  When  quite 
overhead,  in  the  azure  sky,  their  white  feathers  gleam- 
ing in  the  sunlight,  they  proceeded  to  go  through 
many  graceful  evolutions,  flying  about  in  a  circle, 
forming  sides  and  crossing  over  and  back  and  dancing 
in  mid-air  to  their  own  loud  music.  We  were  much 
entertained  by  their  performance,  and  observed  them 
until  the  exhibition  was  ended  and  they  continued 
their  flight  until  quite  out  of  sight. 

I  have  upon  other  occasions  observed  these  birds 
feeding  about  the  margins  of  rivers  and  ponds,  and 
have  tried  a  long  shot  at  them  but  never  with  success. 


XLVII 

THE  RAILS  AND  REED  BIRDS 

THE  rails  are  related,  ornithologically,  to  the 
cranes.  There  is  a  decided  difference  from  the 
sportsman's  point  of  view.  Cranes,  as  we  have  ob- 
served, are  the  most  majestic  and  stately  of  our  birds, 
wary  and  difficult  to  approach  at  all  times.  The  rails, 
on  the  other  hand,  are  most  of  them  diminutive  in 
size,  and  all  of  them  arise  but  a  few  feet  from  the  gun, 
literally  fluttering  out  of  the  grass  and  presenting 
marks  so  easy  as  to  be  uninteresting. 

The  clapper-rail  and  the  king-rail  are  the  two 
largest  birds ;  the  clapper  inhabits  the  salt  marshes, 
being  rarely  seen  in  the  interior.  The  king-rail  fre- 
quents the  fresh-water  marshes.  Two  other  rails,  the 
Carolina,  or  sora,  and  the  Virginia  rail,  are  worthy  of 
the  sportsman's  attention.  These  are  not  much  larger 
than  sparrows.  The  rest  of  the  rails  might  well  be 
spared  on  account  of  their  insignificance. 

The  Carolina,  or  sora,  is  the  most  abundant,  and 
thousands  are  found  scattered  about,  feeding  in  the 
reeds,  rushes,  and  wild  rice  of  tide-waters  and  in  the 
interior.  They  come  in  immense  numbers  to  the 
marshes  about  western  rivers  and  lakes,  and  I  have 
shot  many  of  them  on  the  grounds  now  owned  by  the 
Chicago  clubs,  and  at  the  St.  Clair  flats,  and  at  many 
other  places  in  the  ]S*ast  and  West. 

The   clapper-rail   and   the   king-rail   are   much   less 

327 


328        THE  RAILS   AND   REED   BIRDS 

abundant,  and  are  usually  found  at  long  intervals  on 
the  same  grounds  frequented  by  the  smaller  varieties. 
A  bag  of  one  hundred  or  more  of  the  smaller  birds  is 
not  uncommon  in  a  day,  or  on  one  tide,  but  I  doubt  if 
anyone  ever  made  a  bag  of  any  size  of  the  larger 
birds.  I  have  never  killed  many  of  the  larger  birds 
in  a  day. 

All  the  rails  have  long,  slim  bodies,  and  seem  to  be 
built  especially  to  move  quickly  through  the  rushes 
and  wild  rice  where  they  are  always  found.  They 
run  with  remarkable  rapidity,  and  it  is  difficult  to  put 
them  up.  The  rails  have  short,  rounded  wings  and  fly 
with  an  apparent  effort  just  above  the  tall  reeds,  often 
dropping  back  into  them  after  going  but  a  few  yards. 
So  labored  is  their  flight  that  it  is  not  easy  to  under- 
stand how  they  make  their  long  migration  north  and 
south.  That  they  are  capable  of  a  long-sustained 
flight  is  evidenced  by  their  alighting  on  ships  miles 
from  the  land. 

The  rails  are  the  easiest  of  all  marks  that  fly  from 
the  sportsman's  gun. 

The  season  for  rail  shooting  is  the  early  autumn. 
The  method  of  pursuit  is  everywhere  the  same.  The 
sportsman  takes  his  stand  in  a  light,  flat-bottomed 
boat,  which  is  propelled  through  the  rushes  by  a  punter 
with  a  long  pole.  The  start,  on  tide-water,  is  made  as 
soon  as  the  water  is  high  enough  to  float  the  boat  in 
the  wild  rice,  and  as  the  boat  glides  along  the  birds 
are  driven  into  the  air  at  short  range,  and  since  they 
are  usually  very  abundant  the  shooting  is  very  rapid. 

Dr.  Lewis,  who  wrote  of  this  sport  when  only  muz- 
zle-loading guns  were  used,  advised  the  taking  of  two 


THE  RAILS  AND   REED   BIRDS        329 

guns,  since  it  was  necessary  to  load  and  fire  so  rapidly 
that  the  gun  soon  became  too  hot  to  load  and  handle 
without  danger. 

Rail  shooting  is  a  lazy  sport  compared  to  the  tramp 
across  fields,  but  there  is  a  charm  about  the  boat-ride 
through  the  tall,  waving,  yellow  rice,  down  long  av- 
enues of  open  water  and  across  through  the  reeds, 
where  the  punter  earns  his  wages  driving  the  boat  and 
retrieving  the  birds.  The  vast  stretches  of  yellow  rice 
harmonize  well  with  the  bluest  skies  and  fleecy  clouds 
reflected  in  the  water-ways.  The  shooting  is  always 
rapid.  Many  double  shots  are  made,  and  when  one 
fairly  has  his  '*  sea-legs"  on  there  are  few  misses. 

When  I  first  began  to  shoot  rails  I  went  out  with  a 
youthful  companion,  and  we  took  turns  punting  the 
boat  and  shooting  the  birds.  I  quite  enjoyed  the 
cruising  about  in  the  fresh,  salt  air,  and,  not  caring 
much  for  the  game,  willingly  took  my  turn  at  the  pole. 
An  occasional  shot  at  a  duck  added  interest  to  the 
sport,  and  I  would  advise  the  rail  shooter  always  to 
have  a  few  shells  in  a  convenient  pocket  ready  for  in- 
stant use  on  the  larger  game.  The  larger  rails  are 
easily  killed  with  the  small  shot  (No.  10,  or  smaller) 
used  on  the  soras.  Since  the  shots  are  all  at  short 
range  a  half-load  of  powder  will  be  sufficient  and  less 
likely  to  damage  other  shooters  who  may  be  moving 
about  over  the  same  ground. 

Dr.  Lewis  was  very  fond  of  this  sport,  and  has  given 
us  records  of  large  bags  containing  hundreds  of  birds 
made  on  one  tide.  As  soon  as  the  water  subsides  suf- 
ficiently  to  prevent  the  moving  of  the  boat  the  sport  is 
of  course  at  an  end. 


330        THE   RAILS   AND   REED   BIRDS 

In  the  West,  the  shooting,  when  it  is  practised  at  all, 
is  the  same.  The  start  and  finish,  of  course,  are  not 
dependent  upon  the  tide,  but  we  may  go  at  any  time 
where  the  water  is  sufficient  to  float  a  boat. 

I  was  once  shooting  ducks  with  a  friend  in  the 
marshes  in  Northern  Indiana.  It  was  in  September, 
and  the  migrating  ducks  had  not  come  from  the  North 
and  the  local  ducks  were  quite  wild  from  much  shoot- 
ing. One  day  when  they  were  not  flying  well  I  went 
off  to  some  good  snipe  grounds,  and  my  companion 
instructed  his  punter  to  move  him  about  in  the  wild 
rice  while  he  shot  at  the  rails.  Although  most  of  his 
shot  was  too  large  he  made  a  bag  of  about  one  hun- 
dred birds  in  a  very  few  hours'  shooting.  I  have  no 
doubt  I  could  have  killed  a  thousand  birds  on  many 
Western  marshes  if  the  daylight  had  been  long  enough 
and  I  had  cared  to  do  so. 

Success  does  not  usually  attend  the  sportsman  who 
tries  for  the  rails  afoot.  They  run  so  rapidly  through 
the  reeds  and  rice  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  flush 
them.  I  have  shot  them  along  the  western  prairie 
sloughs  when  snipe-shooting,  walking  close  to  the 
taller  grasses  in  the  slough  and  taking  an  occasional 
shot  as  a  rail  fluttered  out.  An  industrious  little  span- 
iel will  flush  some  birds  where  the  ground  is  such  that 
he  can  move  rapidly. 

There  are  thousands  of  the  small  rails  in  the  rushes 
of  the  St.  Clair  flats,  and  I  often  bagged  a  few  of  them, 
driven  up  by  my  spaniel,  when  snipe-shooting. 

Few  sportsmen  in  the  West,  however,  make  a  prac- 
tice of  shooting  rails.  There  are  still  too  many  ducks, 
cock,  snipe,  sandpipers,  and  plover,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  upland  birds. 


THE   RAILS   AND    REED   BIRDS         331 

I  have  shot  an  occasional  king-rail  on  the  St.  Clair 
flats  and  on  other  snipe  grounds,  but  believe  I  never  shot 
more  than  three  or  four  in  a  day.  I  do  not  remember 
ever  having  missed  one.  They  are  even  easier  marks 
than  the  soras,  since  they  are  several  times  as  big. 

Rails  are  excellent  marks  for  young  sportsmen  to 
begin  on.  The  shots  are  so  numerous  that  a  boy  will 
soon  learn  to  handle  the  gun  and  gain  confidence  in  his 
ability  to  shoot  at  flying  marks.  Mr.  Alford,  in  a 
clever  paper  in  The  Century^  some  years  ago,  gave  us 
an  account  of  a  father  giving  his  boy  *'a  day  with  the 
rails." 

I  have  often,  when  in  a  duck-blind,  observed  the 
rails  running  about  quite  near  at  hand  and  have  seen 
the  little  soras  run  out  on  the  lily-pads  floating  on  the 
pond  hardly  a  gun-length  from  my  ambush. 

Rails  have  been  taken  in  the  South  at  night  by  the 
light  of  a  torch,  the  birds  being  struck  down  by  a 
paddle  as  they  fluttered  out  of  the  grass.  Eels  and 
catfish  are  said  to  prey  upon  the  unrecovered  dead  and 
wounded  birds. 

The  cry  of  the  rails  is  a  harsh  chatter  which  sug- 
gested the  name  crake  applied  to  several  of  the  smaller 
species.  When  alarmed  the  nearest  rails  sound  their 
creaking  cackle,  which  is  soon  taken  up  by  all  the 
others  in  the  vicinity,  and  the  rattling  noise  is  sounded 
on  all  sides.  The  noise  sounds  something  like  kek ! 
kek !  kek  !  repeated  rapidly. 

When  they  first  arrive  the  rails  are  in  poor  condi- 
tion, but  they  soon  become  very  fat  and  are  regarded 
as  excellent  food.  Dr.  Lewis  says  they  are  delicious 
for  the  table,  '*in  truth  we  are  very  partial  to  this  bird, 


332         THE   RAILS   AND   REED   BIRDS 

and  when  in  good  condition  prefer  it  to  most  other 
kinds  of  game  ;  at  all  events  we  can  eat  more  rails  and 
partake  of  them  more  constantly  without  feeling  tired 
of  them  than  any  other  game  bird.  They  are  particu- 
larly tender,  rich,  juicy,  and  delicate,  and  do  not  clog 
the  stomach  by  quantity  or  satiate  the  appetite  by  daily 
indulgence." 

The  king-rail  is  equally  good  on  the  table.  I  not 
long  ago  took  a  lot  of  them  to  an  excellent  cook,  and 
he  cooked  them  after  I  was  seated  at  the  table,  and  I 
must  say  I  have  seldom  eaten  better  birds.  If  they 
would  only  fly  faster  and  stronger  they  would  be 
game  magnificent. 

As  the  larger  birds  become  scarce  the  Western  sports- 
men will,  no  doubt,  give  more  attention  to  these  birds, 
and  there  is  a  goodly  lot  of  them  on  all  the  marshes 
now  owned  by  the  duck-clubs. 

The  common  rail  or  sora  is  about  the  size  of  a  spar- 
row, and  is  of  a  dark  bluish-gray  color,  something  like 
the  common  coot  or  mud-hen.  The  Virginia  rail  is 
about  the  same  in  size,  but  is  a  brown  bird  marked  with 
yellowish  gray  and  black.  The  king-rail  is  four  or  five 
times  as  large,  but  is  identical  in  color  and  markings 
with  the  Virginia  rail.  The  clapper-rail  is  about  the 
size  of  the  king-rail,  but  not  nearly  so  good  to  eat. 
The  flesh,  notwithstanding  all  the  arts  of  the  maitre  de 
cuisine  to  the  contrary,  says  Dr.  Lewis,  is  unusually 
insipid,  dry,  and  sedgy,  and  consequently  holds  out  but 
slight  inducements  to  the  epicurean  sportsman  to  in- 
terrupt them  in  their  secluded  retreats.  Descriptions 
of  the  different  rails,  including  the  little  black  and  yel- 
low crakes,  will  be  found  below.     Their  comparative 


THE   RAILS   AND   REED   BIRDS        333 

size,  their  pattern  and  markings,  appear  in  the  illus- 
trations. 

THE  REED-BIRD 

The  reed-bird  of  the  sportsmen  is  the  familiar  bob- 
olink, seen  in  the  summer  in  the  northern  fields.  It 
changes  its  plumage  and  assumes  an  inconspicuous 
dress  toward  the  end  of  summer,  and,  going  south  in 
flocks,  appears  in  the  wild-rice  marshes  where  it  soon 
becomes  very  fat.  Dr.  Lewis  praises  its  flesh  and  re- 
fers to  it  as  a  bird  much  prized  by  Philadelphia  sports- 
men, but  for  my  part  I  should  like  to  see  it  protected 
at  all  times.  It  is  usually  shot  with  the  rails  on  the 
same  grounds.  Reed-birds  fly  in  flocks  and  it  is  easy 
to  knock  down  a  large  lot  of  them  at  a  shot ;  it  not 
being  uncommon,  according  to  Dr.  Lewis,  to  kill  four 
or  five  dozen  from  a  well-directed  fire  of  a  double 
gun.  Once,  he  says,  thirteen  dozen  were  picked  up, 
the  result  of  a  raking  fire  poured  into  a  flock  from  an 
old  fowling-piece  that  ^'  scattered  most  confoundedly;" 
but  this,  he  adds,  "was  by  no  means  the  largest  number  I 
have  heard  of,  but  I  give  this  record  as  well  authenti- 
cated, and  within  the  bounds  of  credence." 

Reed-birds  are  often  taken  in  nets,  and  sell  well  in 
certain  markets. 

They  are  about  as  good  game  birds  as  the  smaller 
rails,  but  the  rails  are  never  seen  on  the  lawn  and  are 
only  found  in  the  marshes,  while  the  bobolink  not 
only  has  a  cheerful  song  but  is  an  ornament  to  the 
fields,  and  so  I  say  he  should  be  eliminated  from  the 
list  of  game  by  legislation. 


XLVIII 

WILD   PIGEONS   AND   DOVES 

SOME  years  ago  in  a  magazine  article  I  referred  to 
the  fact  that  Forester  had  excluded  all  pigeons  and 
doves  from  his  list  of  game,  and  remarked  that  on  this 
point  we  did  not  agree.  Applying  the  criterion  of  a 
game  bird,  that  he  be  everywhere  shot  by  sportsmen, 
and  good  to  eat  when  shot — the  pigeons  and  doves  all 
appear  to  be  game  birds.  "Swallows,"  I  observed, 
**  are  excellent  marks,  for  example,  but  are  not  used 
as  food,  but  the  wild  pigeon  and  wild  dove  are  highly 
prized  by  epicures,  and  command  good  prices  in  the 
markets.  They  are,  too,  swift  flyers,  and  are  often 
taken  in  a  most  sportsman-like  manner  in  the  stubble 
and  corn,  and  from  blinds.  The  shooting  of  the  doves 
in  the  hemp-fields  of  Kentucky  is  a  recognized  form  of 
sport,  and  I  have  heard  sportsmen  say  they  prefer  doves 
to  partridges.  Audubon  says  their  flesh  is  remark- 
ably fine,  tender,  and  juicy,  especially  when  the  birds 
are  fat,  and  by  some  is  regarded  as  superior  to  that  of 
either  the  snipe  or  the  woodcock.  That  talented 
writer,  the  late  Fred  Mather,  once  took  issue  with 
me  in  Sports  Afield,  insisting  that  Forester  was  right 
and  that  the  dove  certainly  was  not  a  game  bird. 
He  went  so  far  as  to  express  surprise  that  I  shot  swal- 
lows, and   made    a  sentimental  defence  of  the   dove. 

334 


WILD    PIGEONS   AND   DOVES  335 

In  reply  I  called  his  attention  to  the  fact  that  there 
was  nothing  to  warrant  his  conclusion  that  I  shot  swal- 
lows— as  a  matter  of  fact,  my  shooting  trips  for  the 
most  part  had  been  to  places  where  the  best  birds  pre- 
vented my  using  ammunition  upon  many  inferior  game 
birds,  which  would  be,  however,  considered  prizes  in 
Mr.  Mather's  neighborhood.  A  fortiori  I  had  no  use 
for  swallows.  I  also  called  his  attention  to  the  fact 
that  Forester  included  the  tuneful  swan  of  poetry  (the 
bird  which  he  had  no  doubt  observed  floating  grace- 
fully on  many  cemetery  lakes)  in  his  list  of  game,  and 
urged  that  (if  sentiment  were  to  govern)  he  first  strike 
the  swan  from  the  Forester  list.  President  Harrison 
about  that  time  had  been  shooting  swans  as  the  guest 
of  one  of  the  clubs  at  Currituck. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  dove  is  a  pugnacious  bird  not 
deserving  of  sentiment,  and  no  more  tame  than  the 
partridge  or  Bob-white  is  at  certain  seasons.  Although 
doves  may  occasionally  nest  in  an  orchard  near  the 
house,  in  the  early  autumn  they  are  soon  seen  flocking 
together  and  feeding  on  distant  fields  where  the  sports- 
man will  find  it  difficult  to  stalk  them,  and  by  no  means 
easy  to  shoot  them  from  ambush.  The  partridges  may 
be  found  equally  tame  in  summer,  even  nesting  in 
kitchen  gardens.  I  have  had  excellent  sport  with  both 
pigeons  and  doves  and  consider  them  far  better  game 
(both  as  marks  and  food)  than  most  of  the  shore  birds 
or  waders. 

Dogs,  both  the  setters  and  pointers,  recognize  the 
doves  as  game  birds  and  often  point  them  in  the  corn- 
fields when  the  weeds  are  sufficiently  high  for  the 
birds  to  lie  to  them.     The  shooting  is  then  similar  to 


336  WILD   PIGEONS   AND   DOVES 

partridge  shooting,  a  little  more  difficult,  since  the 
doves  arise  at  a  longer  range. 

There  are  in  all  twelve  pigeons  and  doves  in  North 
America.  They  are  all  good  game  birds,  but  most  of 
them  are  comparatively  rare,  having  a  limited  range, 
like  the  plumed  and  crested  partridges. 

Only  two  of  these  birds  are  known  to  Eastern  sports- 
men, the  passenger  pigeon,  now  extinct,  and  the  Caro- 
lina dove.  The  band-tailed  pigeon  is  very  common  on 
the  Pacific  slope.  The  others  are  given  but  little 
space,  since  they  are  only  seldom  shot  by  sportsmen, 
and  in  fact  but  little  is  known  about  some  of  them. 

THE   MOURNING  DOVE;   CAROLINA  DOVE 

There  is  no  more  reason  for  calling  the  common 
wild  dove  the  Carolina  than  there  is  for  calling  the 
Bob-white  the  Virginia  partridge.  This  dove  is  found 
throughout  the  United  States,  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific.  In  the  summer  it  is  quite  tame,  like  the  par- 
tridge. Doves  build  their  nests  in  the  spring  about 
the  farms,  often  in  the  orchard  trees  quite  near  the 
house.  I  had  a  pair  several  seasons  in  an  apple-tree 
not  fifty  feet  from  my  door.  On  the  great  plains  of 
the  West  the  doves,  in  the  absence  of  trees,  build  their 
nests  on  the  ground. 

The  dove  is  marked  somewhat  like  the  wild  pigeon 
and  has  the  same  long  wings  and  tail  and  flies  with 
great  rapidity.  The  noise  made  is  not  a  whirring,  but 
a  whistling  noise,  which  is  more  pronounced  in  the 
dove  than  in  any  other  of  the  game  birds,  excepting 
possibly,  the  golden-eye,  often  called  the  whistler.  It 
is  of  a  gray -blue  color  above  and  has  a  dull  red  breast. 


WILD   PIGEONS   AND   DOVES  337 

the  prevailing  tints  on  shoulders  and  back  suggesting 
the  familiar  term,  **  dove-color." 

The  doves  are  migratory  in  the  Northern  States  and 
partly  so  in  the  Middle  States.  They  are  often  seen  in 
country  roads  procuring  gravel  and  dusting  them- 
selves. The  doves  feed  on  seeds,  grain,  the  smaller 
acorns,  and  have  been  accused  of  consuming  peas  in  a 
garden.  They  use  large  quantities  of  gravel,  and  a 
knowledge  of  this  need  suggests  to  the  sportsman  a 
good  place  for  his  blind. 

In  the  late  summer  and  fall  the  doves  resort  to  the 
stubble  and  corn-fields  in  the  North  and  to  the  hemp- 
fields  in  the  South,  and  soon  become  very  fat  and  in 
excellent  condition  for  the  table.  They  are  usually 
seen  in  pairs  early  in  the  summer  and  should  on  no 
account  be  shot  until  September,  when  they  are  found 
in  small  flocks.  These  combine  together  into  larger 
flocks  when  they  move  southward. 

Dr.  Coues  found  this  bird  abundant  in  Arizona  in 
summer.  A  friend  and  shooting  companion  in  Col- 
orado informed  me  that  they  often  had  fine  sport  with 
the  doves  in  the  early  autumn,  but  we  were  after 
larger  game  and  I  did  not  shoot  them  there.  They 
are  shot  by  Southern  sportsmen  as  they  fly  in  the 
morning  and  at  evening,  and  great  numbers  are  often 
taken  by  a  single  gun.  I  have  had  considerable  sport 
when  they  were  abundant  and  comparatively  tame, 
walking  them  up  in  the  stubble  and  corn-fields,  and 
have  often  seen  the  dogs  point  them. 

Doves  are  usually,  however,  shot  from  ambush.  In 
the  morning  and  evening  they  seek  the  margins  of 
streams  and  ponds  to  drink,  preferring  those  where 


338  WILD    PIGEONS   AND    DOVES 

the  gravel  is  abundant  and  when  the  sportsman  finds  a 
place  much  frequented,  he  may  have  great  sport  shoot- 
ing from  a  blind. 

I  once  discovered  the  doves  using  a  gravel  point  at 
the  lower  end  of  an  island  which  had  a  few  swamp 
willow  bushes  within  easy  range  of  their  drinking 
place.  Using  the  willows  as  my  blind  I  concealed  my- 
self with  a  retriever,  and  soon  the  birds  began  to  arrive 
and  the  shooting  commenced.  They  came  in  small 
flocks,  more  often  two  or  three  together,  or  singly, 
and  as  they  darted  over  the  high  river  bank  and  came 
down  to  the  island  on  swift  wings  they  presented  diffi- 
cult marks,  and  those  killed  usually  fell  in  the  stream 
on  either  side  of  the  narrow  island.  The  birds  kept 
coming  from  the  fields  on  either  side  for  several  hours, 
the  shooting  was  rapid  and  my  retriever  was  most  of 
the  time  in  the  water,  but  he  enjoyed  it  as  thoroughly 
as  I  did. 

The  day  was  fine,  it  was  September,  and  there  was 
a  suggestion  of  frost  in  the  shadows  and  a  genial 
warmth  in  the  sun.  At  the  end  of  the  afternoon  I  had 
some  twenty  odd  birds,  and  my  friend,  whose  gun  I 
heard  banging  from  a  point  below  me  on  the  river,  was 
even  more  successful  and  made  double  my  score.  The 
doves  were  fat  and  tender,  having  fed  almost  exclu- 
sively on  wheat,  and  the  farmer's  wife  made  for  us  a 
pot-pie,  putting  in  a  dozen  birds.  Had  Forester  or 
Fred  Mather  partaken  of  the  shooting  and  the  pie  I 
believe  1  could  have  easily  induced  them  to  add  the 
dove  to  their  list  of  game  birds. 

A  few  years  ago,  when  shooting  partridges  on  the 
neck  of  land  between  the  White  and  Wabash  Rivers,  I 


WILD    PIGEONS   AND    DOVES  339 

found  the  doves  quite  abundant  and  shot  many  oi 
them.  They  were,  however,  but  an  incident  to  the 
other  sport.  I  did  not  go  out  of  my  way  to  shoot 
them,  preferring  to  follow  the  dogs  where  the  par- 
tridges were  plentiful. 

In  some  of  the  States  the  dove  is  no  longer  a  game 
bird,  being  protected  at  all  times  by  laws  passed  under 
the  influence  of  a  sentiment  which  has  nothing  to  sus- 
tain it.  Our  dove  does  not  go  about  carrying  olive 
branches.  He  is  not  the  color  of  doves  used  as  a  dec- 
oration at  funerals  and  to  adorn  tombstones.  He  is 
no  more  tame,  or  friendly,  or  beautiful  than  the  par- 
tridge who  whistles  '*  Bob-white."  As  a  songster  he  is 
not  a  success.  I  prefer  the  cheery  whistle  of  Bob- 
white  to  his  mournful  note.  He  flies  well,  is  a  diffi- 
cult mark,  and  is  very  good  to  eat.  He  is,  in  every 
sense,  a  game  bird,  but  would  be  better  could  he  be 
induced  to  lie  more  often  to  the  dogs. 

THE   PASSENGER-PIGEON. 

The  common  wild  pigeon,  the  passenger-pigeon  of 
the  ornithologists,  is  a  beautiful  bird  of  a  gray-blue 
color  above  with  a  red  breast  and  with  bright  irides- 
cent feathers  on  the  neck,  reflecting  red  and  bronze. 
It  has  a  black  bill  and  feet  of  lake  red.  These  pigeons 
inhabited  the  continent  of  North  America  from  the 
Alantic  to  the  Great  Plains,  and  from  the  Southern 
States  to  the  sixty-second  parallel  of  north  latitude  in 
the  interior.  I  made  the  statement  some  years  ago,  in 
writing  for  a  magazine,  that  the  passenger-pigeons 
were  not  found  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  editor  soon 
had  numerous  letters  from  the  Pacific  States  calling 


540  WILD    PIGEONS   AND    DOVES 

his  attention  to  the  fact  that  I  had  made  a  great  error. 
One  of  the  writers  from  California  spoke  of  the  birds 
as  being  a  nuisance  to  the  farmers.  The  editor,  like 
all  editors,  liking  a  controversy,  published  these  let- 
ters and  wrote  me  a  friendly  note,  saying  that  my  arti- 
cles had  been  remarkably  free  from  error,  but  that  I 
seemed  to  be  in  for  it  this  time.  I  insisted,  however, 
that  I  was  right,  and  the  matter  was  referred  to  the 
Governor  of  California,  who  referred  it  to  the  Acad- 
emy of  Sciences,  and  at  the  last  the  matter  went  to  the 
Smithsonian  Institution,  and  the  editor  mailed  me  a 
letter  from  that  authority  which  said  there  were  no 
records  of  the  passenger-pigeon  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 
To  the  average  person  a  pigeon  is  a  pigeon,  but  there 
are  great  differences  in  these  birds,  both  in  size,  mark- 
ings, and  habits.  I  have  seen  the  wild  passenger- 
pigeons  so  numerous  for  days  at  a  time  that  they 
literally  reached  from  the  southern  horizon  to  the 
northern  horizon,  like  clouds  in  the  sky,  and  cast  sim- 
ilar shadows  on  the  earth.  I  was  reminded  of  Cooper's 
line,  "  You  may  look  an  hour  before  you  can  find  a  hole 
through  them." 

I  have  had  some  excellent  sport  with  the  wild 
pigeons.  The  pigeons  are  extremely  fond  of  beech- 
nuts, and  when  feeding  in  the  woods  of  Ohio  the  flocks 
would  fly  from  one  woodland  to  another  and  I  shot 
them  usually  from  ambush  as  they  passed. 

It  was  as  difficult  to  estimate  the  number  of  the  pass- 
ing birds  as  it  is  for  an  astronomer  to  count  the  shoot- 
ing stars  on  an  August  night.  Audubon  attempted  to 
count  the  different  flocks  one  day,  but  after  counting 
one  hundred  and  sixty-three  flocks  in  twenty  minutes 


WILD   PIGEONS  AND   DOVES  341 

he  gave  it  up  as  impi-acticable.  The  air,  he  says, 
seemed  full  of  pigeons  and  the  light  of  noonday  to  be 
obscured  as  by  an  eclipse.  Multitudes  were  destroyed, 
and  for  many  days  the  entire  population  seemed  to  eat 
nothing  but  pigeons.  The  flapping  of  the  wings 
sounded  like  distant  thunder.  Wilson  says  the  noise 
was  so  great  as  to  terrify  their  horses  and  that  it  was 
difficult  for  one  person  to  hear  another  speak.  He 
counted  ninety  nests  on  one  tree. 

The  wild  pigeons  vanished  suddenly.  There  has 
been  much  speculation  as  to  the  cause.  The  failure  of 
their  food,  which  largely  consisted  of  beech  nuts,  the 
overshooting,  the  trapping,  and  the  robbing  of  the 
nests  have  all  been  advanced.  I  am  of  the  opinion 
that  the  combination  of  these  causes  was  necessary  to 
exterminate  the  pigeons.  The  netting  and  the  rob- 
bing of  the  nests  did  the  most  damage.  The  shooting, 
when  every  firearm  in  a  neighborhood  was  out,  was 
excessive,  and  the  cutting  down  of  the  forests  de- 
stroyed vast  areas  of  feeding  ground.  There  are  a  few 
specimens  remaining  in  captivity.  I  believe  they  have 
been  bred  in  confinement.  Would  that  there  were 
enough  to  restore  the  flocks  to  the  woods !  Such  res- 
toration by  the  Agricultural  Department  or  the  State 
game  authorities  would  interest  me  more  than  the  im- 
portation of  foreign  birds. 

The  wild  pigeons  were  not  only  used  as  food,  but 
thousands  were  taken  alive  to  be  used  in  shooting- 
matches.  Mr.  Stephan,  of  the  Cincinnati  Zoological 
Gardens,  once  saw  eight  thousand  wild  pigeons  in 
crates  at  the  Dexter  Park  shooting  grounds  to  be  used 
as  targets  in  a  live-bird  shooting-match. 


342  WILD    PIGEONS   AND    DOVES 

The  nets  made  to  capture  wild  pigeons  were  often 
as  large  as  eighteen  by  forty  feet ;  they  were  placed  on 
baited  ground  and  sprung  by  means  of  spring-poles. 
As  many  as  sixty  dozen  were  taken  often  at  a  single 
throw  of  the  net.  Those  taken  in  the  morning  and  at 
evening,  says  Lieutenant  Simpson,  were  males,  and  all 
taken  near  midday  were  females.  The  reason  was  found 
when  it  was  observed  that  the  male  and  female  divided 
the  labor  of  incubation.  Meantime  the  bombardment 
of  guns  and  weapons,  and  missiles  of  all  sorts,  includ- 
ing sticks  and  stones,  went  on,  and  it  is  no  wonder  the 
race  was  destroyed. 

Wild  pigeons  fly  with  a  speed  almost  incredible. 
Birds  killed  in  the  State  of  New  York  were  found  to 
contain  the  undigested  grains  of  rice  that  must  have 
been  taken  in  the  distant  fields  of  Georgia  and  South 
Carolina,  proving  that  they  passed  the  intervening 
space  in  a  very  few  hours.  A  single  pigeon,  at  full 
speed,  passing  a  blind,  was  a  more  difficult  mark  than 
a  wild  duck.  As  in  duck-shooting,  a  number  were 
often  killed  from  a  flock  with  the  use  of  both  barrels. 

I  shot  pigeons  for  several  years  every  autumn,  or 
late  in  the  summer,  in  Northern  Ohio.  I  had  one  ex- 
cellent stand  in  a  large  clearing  overgrown  with  the 
Canada  thistle  and  full  of  pokeberry  bushes,  upon 
which  the  pigeons  were  feeding.  It  was  a  picturesque 
place,  shut  in  on  all  sides  by  forests  which  had  never 
felt  the  axe.  The  thistles  grew  everywhere  among  the 
wild  grasses  and  poke-bushes,  and  their  red  plumes, 
with  the  white  daisies  and  the  yellow  mustard,  sug- 
gested at  a  short  distance  a  vast  garden  of  flowers. 
Throughout  the  clearing,  at  intervals,  stood  the  tall, 


WILD   PIGEONS   AND   DOVES  343 

gray  trunks  of  dead  trees,  and  the  pigeons  flew  out 
from  the  woods  to  their  branches,  and,  after  surveying 
the  ground  for  a  moment,  dropped  into  the  bushes  to 
feed  on  the  purple  berries.  After  observing  them  for 
a  time  at  the  fence,  I  noticed  that  most  of  the  birds 
came  in  at  one  corner  of  the  field  and  I  took  my  stand 
there  in  perfect  concealment  among  the  thistles.  From 
my  blind  I  soon  saw  a  flock  of  pigeons  coming  from  the 
forest  on  swift  pinions,  and  as  they  passed  I  gave  them 
both  barrels  and  killed  several  of  them.  A  single  bird 
followed,  throwing  his  weight  into  his  downward  flight. 
But  at  the  report  of  the  gun  he  fell  far  out  into  the 
thistles.  I  never  made  a  better  shot,  since  the  bird 
attempted  to  pass  behind  my  back,  and  was  a  right- 
hander. The  flight  continued  for  several  hours,  begin- 
ning early  in  the  day.  My  shooting  at  birds  coming  in 
alarmed  those  which  had  arrived  from  other  directions, 
and  which  were  on  the  ground  feeding,  and  these  flew 
up  to  the  branches  of  the  dead  trees,  and  then  left  for 
the  woods,  often  passing  within  range.  At  times  the 
shooting  was  very  rapid. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  day  the  flight  slackened, 
the  intervals  between  the  flocks  became  longer,  and,  as 
I  sat  in  my  blind  and  observed  the  sunlight  on  that  field, 
I  made  good  resolutions  to  bring  the  color-box  and 
white  umbrella  and  leave  the  gun  at  home.  The  pred- 
atory instinct  is,  however,  often  stronger  than  the 
artistic.  Good  resolutions  were  often  broken,  and  I 
decided  many  mornings — against  the  umbrella  and  in 
favor  of  the  gun.         • 

There  was  another  flight  at  evening  when  the  birds 
returned  to  feed,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  da}-  I  some- 


344  WILD   PIGEONS   AND    DOVES 

times  startled  them  in  the  dense  woodlands.  I  pre- 
ferred for  once,  however,  ambush  to  pursuit,  since  the 
result  of  the  latter  method  was  a  sitting  mark.  The 
birds  were  wild  and  wary,  difficult  to  approach  within 
range,  and  when  they  took  wing  went  through  or  over 
the  heavy  foliage  with  a  noisy  rush  of  wings,  but  were 
at  most  times  invisible. 

Shooting  through  an  opening  in  the  leaves  at  a  single 
bird,  I  was  often  rewarded  with  some  four  or  five, 
which  had  been  unseen  in  the  heavy  foliage  when  the 
shot  was  fired.  Such  shooting  will  do  for  beginners, 
but  does  not  interest  those  fond  of  shooting  at  a  flying 
mark.  I  had  similar  sport  with  the  pigeons  one  autumn 
in  the  oak  groves  of  Northern  Illinois,  shooting  on  a 
pass  between  two  groves.  They  were  quite  abundant 
that  year  in  the  trees  about  the  ravines  in  the  village  of 
Lake  Forest,  north  of  Chicago,  and  I  shot  many  there 
without  leaving  the  village. 

A  small  flock  of  pigeons  or  a  single  pair  is  occasion- 
ally reported  in  some  newspaper  as  having  been  seen 
in  the  Northwest,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  there  is  a  live 
passenger  pigeon  at  large  to-day.  There  are  but  a 
very  few  in  captivity. 

The  pigeons  are  gone,  but  the  lesson  taught  by  their 
disappearance  remains.  Insufficient  legislation,  insuffi- 
cient enforcement  of  existing  laws  for  bird  protection, 
a  lack  of  public  sentiment  in  favor  of  the  birds,  caused 
the  annihilation  of  this  race  of  food  birds. 

Mr.  Leffingwell  well  says:  "  It  wasn't  done  by  sports- 
men, for  no  man  having  the  heart  of  a  sportsman  could 
go  into  a  roost  of  pigeons  and  strike  down  the  innocent 
fledgling  with  a  club  while  its  mouth  was  crying  for 


WILD   PIGEONS   AND   DOVES  345 

food,  and  its  mother  circled  around  it  trying  to  win  it 
with  piteous  cries  to  take  wing  and  fly  with  her  away 
from  this  threatening  danger." 

He  might  have  added  that  it  was  not  the  sportsman 
who  spread  the  nets  and  sewed  the  eyelids  of  the 
stool-pigeons  with  silken  threads,  so  they  would  per- 
form to  his  liking  when  tolling  their  kind  to  destruc- 
tion. It  was  not  the  sportsman  who  shipped  the  birds 
in  barrels  to  the  market,  or  in  crates  to  the  shooting- 
matches. 

THE   BAND-TAILED   PIGEON. 

The  band-tailed  pigeon  is  a  Western  bird,  and  is 
found  only  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  the  United 
States.  It  is  a  very  common  bird  in  the  woods  of  Ore- 
gon and  California,  where  it  feeds  largely  on  acorns. 
It  affords  considerable  sport  to  the  gunners  on  the 
Pacific  Coast.  It  is  a  large,  fine  bird,  excellent  as 
food,  and  flies  rapidly,  arising  from  the  ground  with  a 
loud  flapping  noise  like  tame  pigeons.  It  goes  to  the 
stubble  fields  for  grain,  and  may  be  shot  as  it  flies  in 
and  out  of  the  fields.  The  flocks  are  often  large,  con- 
taining hundreds  of  birds.  When  not  much  shot  they 
are  not  very  wild,  but,  like  other  game,  they  are  quick 
to  learn,  and  soon  become  extremely  wary  and  difficult 
to  approach. 

Dr.  Suckly  says  the  Indian  name  of  this  pigeon  is 
hubboh — a  good  imitation  of  its  call — and  that  he  pre- 
fers it  to  the  pigeon  of  the  Eastern  States. 

Dr.  Coues  found  this  pigeon  in  Arizona,  but  says  it 
is  not  abundant  there. 


346  WILD   PIGEONS   AND   DOVES 

THE    WHITE-WINGED    DOVE. 

White-winged  doves  are  so  called  from  the  white 
mark  on  their  wings.  They  are  about  the  same  size 
as  the  Carolina  dove,  and  afford  excellent  sport  in 
Arizona.  I  read  recently  of  over  one  hundred  being 
taken  by  a  single  gun  in  a  day,  which  is  quite  too  many, 
but  indicates  their  abundance.  The  law  should  limit 
the  bag  to  twenty-five  birds  per  diem,  or  perhaps  less. 
The  citizens  might  then  occasionally  have  a  dove  pie 
without  danger  of  exterminating  the  birds.  The  white- 
wings  have  but  a  limited  distribution,  and  may  be  said 
to  be  distinctly  a  Southwestern  bird.  It  is  remark- 
able that  this  particular  part  of  the  country  should 
have  the  greatest  variety  of  feathered  game. 

THE    GROUND   DOVE. 

This  is  the  smallest  of  all  the  doves,  being  not  much 
larger  than  a  sparrow.  It  flies  swiftly,  like  the  Caro- 
lina dove,  with  the  same  whistling  sound.  This  bird 
is  distributed  from  the  Carolinas  to  Southern  Arizona 
and  Southern  California. 

There  are  several  other  pigeons  and  doves  indigenous 
to  parts  of  the  United  States,  but  confined  to  such 
small  areas,  or  being  so  few  in  number,  as  to  be  unim- 
portant to  sportsmen.  These  are  referred  to  in  the 
appendix. 


APPENDIX 

The  following  descriptive  notes,  numbered  to  cor- 
respond with  the  bird  portraits,  will  enable  the  reader 
to  identify  any  bird  which  he  is  permitted  to  kill  at 
certain  seasons.  The  robin  and  the  meadow-lark  are 
legal  game  in  a  few  Southern  States,  but  the  writer 
does  not  so  regard  them. 

The  popular  and  techical  names  are  those  given  in 
the  check-list  of  the  American  Ornithological  Union, 
with  but  few  changes.  The  color  descriptions,  mark- 
ings, and  measurements  are  for  the  most  part  from 
the  following  ornithological  works  :  "  North  American 
Birds,"  Baird,  Brewer  and  Ridgway;  ''North  Amer- 
ican Shore  Birds,"  "  The  Gallinaceous  Birds,"  and 
*'  Wild  Fowl  or  Swimmers,"  three  instructive  books  by 
D.  G.  Elliot ;  ''  The  Birds  of  Eastern  North  America," 
by  Chapman,  and  the  works  of  Audubon,  Wilson,  Coues, 
Apgar,  Forester,  Lewis,  Trumbull,  and  others  referred 
to  in  the  text.  I  am  indebted  to  T/ie  Auk,  to  Forest 
and  Stream,  The  American  Field,  Sportsman  s  Review, 
Recreation,  Outing,  Shooting  and  Fishing,  Field  and 
Stream,  Sports  Afield,  Out  of  Doors,  The  National  Sports- 
man, and  other  periodicals  to  which  credit  has  been 
given.  I  am,  too,  much  indebted  to  the  American  Mu- 
seum of  Natural  History,  New  York,  and  the  Smith- 
sonian Institution,  Washington,  for  many  mounted 
specimens. 

347 


348  APPENDIX 


BOOK   I 

THE  GALLINACEOUS   BIRDS — THE  TURKEYS,   PHEASANTS,  GROUSE, 
AND   PARTRIDGES. 

Note. — Quails  are  gallinaceous  birds,  but  as  we  have  observed  in  the  text, 
there  are  no  quails  in  North  America.  Bob-white,  the  quail  of  many  North- 
ern sportsmen,  is  a  true  partridge,  and  is  now  so  listed  in  the  check-list  of 
the  American  Ornithological  Union.  Gallinaceous  birds  are  often  called  Ra- 
sores  (Latin  rasor,  a  scraper),  from  their  scratching  like  chickens  for  food. 
The  birds  of  this  order  found  in  America  are  classified  by  the  ornithologists  as 
Phasiafiidtz^  the  turkeys  and  pheasants,  and  Tetraonidce,  the  grouse  and  part- 
ridges. 

1.  The  English  Pheasant. — Phasianus  colchicus. 
The  Common  Pheasant. 

This  bird  is  very  similar  to  the  Mongolian  pheasant  (No.  2),  but  not 
so  handsome,  and  without  the  white  collar  on  the  neck. 

Hab. — England,  where  it  was  introduced  over  eight  hundred  years 
ago  from  China.     Recently  introduced  into  many  of  the  United  States. 

2.  The  Mongolian  Pheasant. — Phasianus  torquatus. 
Ring-neck  Pheasant. 

Male. — Forehead,  deep  green ;  crown,  fawn  color  glossed  with 
green  ;  white  stripe  over  eye  ;  naked  skin  of  sides  of  head  scarlet,  dotted 
with  minute  black  feathers;  throat  and  neck,  green  reflecting  purple; 
white  collar  about  the  neck  ;  back,  black  with  crescentic  marks  of 
buffy  white  ;  breast,  chestnut  reflecting  purple  ;  tail,  long  and  barred 
with  broad  black  bands. 

Female. — Smaller  ;  similar  in  shape ;  yellowish-brown  color. 

Hab. — Many  of  the  United  States,  where  introduced  from  China  ; 
first  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  in  Oregon. 

3.  The  Wild  Turkey. — Meleagris  sylvestris. 

Resembles  the  common  domestic  turkey,  but  is  far  handsomer. 
The  plumage  shines  with  metallic  colors,  gold,  green,  and  bronze  and 
reddish-purple  predominating.  Head  and  neck  naked,  red  ;  legs,  red 
and  spurred  ;  bill,  red  ;  long  tuft  of  coarse  bristles  pendent  from  breast 
of  male;  tail,  dark  chestnut.  Length,  about  4  ft.*  wing,  21  in. 
Weight  from  12  to  38  pounds,  possibly  heavier. 

Female. — Smaller  ;  plumage  less  brilliant. 


APPENDIX  349 

Hab. — Wooded  districts  of  Central,  Western,  and  Soutiiern  States, 
except  Florida  ;  west  to  Texas  and  Wisconsin. 

{a)  Florida   Wild  Turkey  {Meleagris  sylvestris  osceold), 
A  smaller  turkey. 
Hab. — Southern  Florida. 

{b)  Elliot's  Rio  Grande  Turkey  {Meleagris  sylvestris  ellioH). 
Hab. — Southeastern  Texas  and  Northeastern  Mexico. 

JVote. — The  turkey  is  indigenous  to  North  America  alone.  This  bird  is 
named  turkey  since  it  was  erroneously  supposed  to  have  been  introduced  into 
England  from  Turkey. 

See  The  Auk^  January,  1899. 

4.  Prairie  Hen. —  Tympanuchus  Americanus. 
Pinnated  Grouse. 

General  color  brown,  barred  with  black  and  buff ;  black  tuft  of 
feathers  on  sides  of  neck  ;  throat  and  cheeks  buff,  throat  marked  with 
brown  spots  ;  under  parts  white,  barred  cross-wise  with  brown ;  tail 
brown  ;  large  sac  of  loose  skin,  capable  of  inflation,  on  neck.  Length, 
18  in.  ;  wing,  9  in. 

Female. — Similar,  without  neck  sac.  Length,  lyyi  in.  ;  wing,  8^  in. 

Hab. — Prairies  of  the  Mississippi  valley ;  south  to  Louisiana  and 
Texas  ;  east  to  Kentucky,  Indiana,  Ohio,  Michigan,  and  Ontario  ;  west 
through  eastern  portions  of  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota,  Nebraska, 
Kansas,  and  the  Indian  Territory ;  north  to  Manitoba.  General  tendency 
to  extension  of  range  westward  and  contraction  eastward.  Migration 
north  and  south  in  Minnesota,  Iowa,  and  Missouri. 

Mr.  W.  B.  Mershon,  of  Saginaw,  Michigan,  who  goes  to  shoot  in  the  Dakotas 
each  season,  says  :  Of  late  the  prairie-chickens  have  increased,  and  the  sharp- 
tailed  grouse  have  decreased,  so  on  our  recent  trip,  out  of  ninety  birds  killed 
probably  three-fourths  of  them  were  prairie-chickens. 

{a)  Lesser  prairie  hen  {Tympanuchus  pallidicinctus). 
A  smaller  and  paler  bird ;  pattern  and  markings  the  same  as  No.  4. 
Hab. — Eastern  edge  of  the  Great  Plains,  from  Western  and  prob- 
ably Southern  Texas  northward  through  Indian  Territory  to  Kansas. 

[b)  Atwater s prairie  hen  [Tympanuchus  americanus  aiwateri). 
Similar  to  preceding. 
Hab. — Coast  region  of  Louisiana  and  Texas. 


350  APPENDIX 

5.  Heath  Hen. —  Tympanuchus  cupido. 

This  bird  has  the  same  pattern,  color,  and  markings  as  the  common 
prairie  grouse,  and  was  until  recently  regarded  as  identical  with  it. 
Only  expert  ornithologists  can  distinguish  the  birds. 

//■^^.—Island  of  Martha's  Vineyard.  (Formerly  Southern  New 
England  and  parts  of  the  Middle  States.) 

6.  Sharp-tailed  Grouse. — Pedioccetes  phasianellus. 

General  color  brownish  gray.  Top  of  head,  neck,  and  entire  upper 
parts,  black,  barred  and  mottled  everywhere,  except  on  top  of  head, 
with  buff,  the  bars  narrow.  White  spots  on  the  wings,  under  parts 
white,  spotted  with  black  on  the  throat  and  front  of  neck.  V-shaped 
marks  on  breast  and  flanks,  fewer  and  smaller  on  abdomen.  Legs  and 
toes  covered  with  hairy  light-brown  feathers.  Bill,  blackish  brown. 
Length,  16  in.;  wing,  8>^  in.     Weight  about  2  pounds. 

Female. — Same  as  male,  perhaps  slightly  smaller. 

Hab. — Interior  of  British  America,  from  Lake  Superior  and  Hudson 
Bay  to  Fort  Simpson. 

{a)  Columbian    Sharp-tailed    Grouse   {Pedioccetes  phasianellus  co- 

lumbianus) . 
Hab. — Plains  of  the  Northwestern  United  States  and  British  Co- 
lumbia to  central  portions  of  Alaska ;  northward  chiefly  west  of  the 
main  Rocky  Mountains ;  eastward  in  Montana  and  Wyoming  ;  south- 
ward to  Utah,  Northern  Nevada,  and  Northeastern  California.  Same 
in  pattern  and  color  as  the  preceding ;  it  would  require  an  expert  to 
distinguish  them. 

{b)  Prairie  Sharp-tailed  Grouse  {Pedioccetes  phasianellus  campes- 

tris). 
Hab.— VXdXns  and  prairies   of   the  United  States  east   of   Rocky 
Mountains  north  to  Manitoba;  east  to  Wisconsin  and  Illinois;  south 
to  New  Mexico.     A  very  similar  bird  to  the  others ;  somewhat  lighter ; 
sometimes  called  "  white-belly." 

7.  Ruffed  GrovLSQ.—Bonasa  umbdlus. 

General  color  brown.  Male. — Upper  parts  varied  with  yellowish 
brown  and  gray,  barred  with  black  on  back,  wings,  head,  and  neck ; 
lower  part  of  back  and  rump  gray,  spotted  with  buff  and  brown ;  tufts 
of  long,  broad  feathers  on  each  side  of  the  neck  black,  tipped  with  light 


APPENDIX  .       351 

brown  reflecting  metallic  green ;  throat  buff ;  buff  on  chest ;  under  parts 
white,  barred  with  brown ;  tail  gray  or  yellowish  brown  crossed  by 
black  and  buff  bars  ;  broad  black  band  near  end  of  tail.  Legs  feath- 
ered to  middle  of  tarsus.  Bill,  maxilla,  black ;  mandible,  horn  color. 
Length,  16  in.  ;  wing,  7^  in. 

Female. — Similar ;  smaller,  with  small  neck  tufts  or  none  at  all. 

Hab. — Eastern  Nova  Scotia  and  Southern  Canada ;  west  to  Minne- 
sota ;  south  in  the  mountains  to  Northern  Georgia,  Mississippi,  and 
Arkansas. 

{a)  Oregon  Ruffed  Grouse  {Bonus a  umbellus  sabini). 

Hab. — Coast  ranges  of  Northern  California,  Oregon,  Washington, 
British  Columbia.  Intergrades  with  preceding.  Similar  in  appear- 
ance and  habits. 

{b)   Canadian  Ruffed  Grouse  {Bonasa  umbellus  togata). 

Hab. — The  spruce  forests  of  Northern  New  England,  Northern 
New  York,  and  the  British  Provinces ;  west  to  Oregon,  Washington, 
and  British  Columbia ;  north  to  James  Bay. 

{c)   Gray  Ruffed  Grouse  {Bonasa  umbellus  umbelloides). 

Hab. — Rocky  Mountain  region  of  the  United  States  and  British 
America,  north  to  Alaska,  east  to  Manitoba. 

Note. — The  different  ruffed  grouse  all  have  the  same  habits,  and  are  so  much 
alike  as  to  be  the  same  when  pictured  in  black  and  white.  The  slight  color 
differences  are  local  or  climatic,  and  of  no  importance. 


8.   Dusky  Grouse. — Dendragapus  obscurus. 
Blue  Grouse. 

General  color  slaty  blue ;  head  dark  brown  behind,  dull  rufous  on 
forehead  ;  throat  white  mottled  with  black ;  sides  of  head  black ;  tail 
rounded,  black  and  tipped  with  broad  gray  band ;  legs  feathered  to  the 
toes;  bill  horn  color.  Length,  20  in. ;  wing,  9^  in.  Weight,  about  3 
pounds  (i  pound  heavier  than  prairie  grouse,  sharp-tailed  and  ruffed 
grouse). 

Female. — Upper  parts  mottled  with  black  and  buff ;  throat  buff ; 
under  parts  slate  gray.     Ler^th,  17  in. ;  wing,  8|^  in. 

Hab. — From  Central  Montana  and  Southeastern  Idaho  to  New 
Mexico  and  Arizona ;  eastward  to  the  Black  Hills,  South  Dakota,  and 
westward  to  East  Humboldt  Mountains,  Nevada. 


352  APPENDIX 

(a)  Sooty  Grouse  {Dendragapus  ohscurus  fuliginosus). 
Hab. — Northwest  coast  mountains  from  California  to  Sitka;  east 
to  Nevada,  Western  Idaho,  and  portions  of  British  Columbia. 

Said  to  be  darker  than  No.  8,  and  to  have  narrower  band  on  its  tail. 

{p)  Richardson  s  Grouse  {Dendragapus  obscurus  richardsonii). 

Hab. — Rocky  Mountains,  especially  on  the  eastern  slopes  from  Cen- 
tral Montana,  Northern  Wyoming,  and  Southeastern  Idaho,  into  Brit- 
ish America  to  Liard  River. 

Very  similar  to  other  dusky  grouse ;  tail  without. terminal  gray  band. 

9.  Canada  Grouse. — Dendt-agapus  canadensis. 

General  color  black  or  grayish  black  ;  upper  parts  gray,  barred 
with  black;  wings  gray-brown  mottled  and  barred  with  black  and 
brown  ;  under  parts  black,  effectively  marked  with  white ;  throat  black 
with  speckled  white  border ;  long  white  marks  on  sides ;  legs  feath- 
ered to  the  toes ;  bill  black.     Length,  i^Yz  to  16  in.;  wing,  7  in. 

Female. — Smaller,  more  brown  and  gray  in  color. 

Hab. — British  America  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  west  in 
Alaska  to  the  Pacific  Coast  at  Kadiac  and  St.  Michaels  ;  southeastward 
to  Northern  Minnesota.  Northern  Michigan,  Northern  New  York,  and 
Northern  New  England. 

{a)  FrankUn's  Grouse  {Dendragapus franklinit). 

Very  similar  in  size,  pattern  and  color-markings  to  No.  9 ;  dis- 
tinguished by  the  broad  white  bars  at  the  end  of  the  upper  tail  coverts. 

Hab. — Northern  Rocky  Mountains  from  Northwestern  Montana  to 
the  coast  ranges  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  and  northward  in  British 
America,  reaching  the  Pacific  Coast  of  Southern  Alaska  (Lat.  60  "  N.). 

10.  White-tailed  Ptarmigan. — Lagopus  leucurus. 
Winter,  plumage  white.     Legs  and  feet  feathered. 

11.  White-tailed  Ptarmigan  (see  No.  10). — Summer. 

Summer,  plumage  is  mottled  brown,  black,  and  gray  ;  under  parts 
white  ;  often  more  or  less  white  on  wings.  In  spring  and  autumn  the 
birds  are  more  or  less  white,  as  the  change  from  summer  to  fall  plumage, 
or  winter  to  spring  plumage,  takes  place.     Length,  14  in.  ;  wing,  7  in. 

//«^.— Alpine  summits  of  the  mountains  of  Western  North 
America  from  New  Mexico  to  Liard  River,  British  America ;  west  on 
the  highest  ranges  of  Oregon,  Washington,  and  British  Columbia. 

Distinguished  from  all  other  ptarmigan  by  the  white  tail. 


APPENDIX  353 

{a)   Willow  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  lag  opus). 

Similar  to  No.  lo.  White  in  winter,  mottled  gray  and  brown  in 
summer  ;  tail  black,  extreme  base  and  tip  white.  Length,  14  in. ;  wing, 
7f  in. 

Hab. — Arctic  regions.  In  America,  south  to  Sitka,  and  the  British 
provinces  ;  breeding  ranges  restricted  to  the  Arctic  and  sub- Arctic  re- 
gions. Accidental  in  New  England  (Bangor,  Me.,  and  Essex  County^ 
Mass.). 

{b)  Allen's  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  lagopus  Alleni), 
Similar  to  {a). 
Hab. — Newfoundland. 

[c)  The  Rock  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  rupestris). 

Similar  to  {a). 

Hab. — Arctic  America,  except  the  northern  extremity,  from  Alaska 
to  Labrador  and  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  portions  of  Greenland,  Aleu- 
tian Islands. 

(^  Reinhardfs  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  rupestris  Reinhardti). 
Hab. — Greenland,  western  shores  of  Cumberland  Gulf,  and  northern 
extremity  of  Labrador. 

{e)  Nelson's  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  rupestris  nelsoni). 
Hab. — In  Alaska  and  some  adjacent  Aleutian  Islands. 

(/)   Turner's  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  rupestris  atkhensis), 
Hab. — Atkha,  one  of  the  Aleutian  Islands. 

{g)   Welch's  Ptarmigan  [Lagopus  welchi). 
Hab. — Newfoundland. 

{h)   Townsend's  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  rupestris  townsendi). 
Hab. — Aleutian  Islands,  Kyrka  and  Adak.  (Elliot,  not  in  check-list.) 

{t)  Evermanns  Ptarmigan  {Lagopus  evermanni). 
//rt^.— Island  of  Attu.  (Elliot,  not  in  check-list.) 
Note. — All  of  these  birds  from  the  sportsman's  point  of  view  are  grouse, — 
white  in  winter,  gray  and  brown  in  summer,  and  mottled  or  piebald  in  the  spring 
and  late  summer,  when  the  change  in  the  plumage  is  taking  place.  I  doubt  if 
the  most  expert  ornithologists  would  agree  in  naming  them  were  a  bag  contain- 
ing them  all  in  the  spring  or  fall  plumage  presented  for  identification.  Their 
combined  habitat  or  geographical  distribution  given  above  will  indicate  to 
sportsmen  where  they  may  expect  to  shoot  a  white  grouse. 


354  APPENDIX 

12.  Sage  Grouse. — Centrocercus  urophasianus. 

Top  of  head  and  neck  grayish  buff,  barred  with  black ;  chin,  throat, 
and  cheeks  white  ;  throat  spotted  with  black  ;  upper  parts  light  brown 
or  gray,  barred  with  black,  dark  brown,  and  gray ;  tail  longer  than 
prairie  grouse,  twenty  feathers  graduated  to  a  point ;  chest  gray,  barred 
with  blackish  brown;  bill  black.  Length,  28  in.;  wing,  13  in. 
Weight,  5  to  8  pounds. 

Female.— ^vcm\2X,  but  much  smaller. 

Hab. — Sage  regions  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  plateau,  and  westward, 
chiefly  within  the  United  States,  but  north  to  Assiniboia  and  the  dry 
interior  of  British  Columbia ;  east  to  North  Dakota,  South  Dakota, 
Nebraska,  and  Colorado ;  south  to  Northern  New  Mexico,  Utah,  and 
Nevada ;  west  in  California,  Oregon,  and  Washington  to  the  Sierra 
Nevada  and  Cascade  Range. 

13.  Scaled  Partridge. — Callipepla  squamata. 

General  color  slate  blue,  feathers  bordered  with  black,  giving  the 
bird  the  scaled  appearance  which  suggested  name.  Head  brown  or 
brownish  gray  ;  top  of  crest  white,  throat  pale  buff,  hind  neck  and 
upper  parts  of  back  and  breast  slate  blue  ;  wings  and  back  pale 
brown  ;  bill  black.     Length,  9^  in. ;  wing,  5  in. 

Female. — The  same. 

Hab. — Table-lands  of  Mexico,  from  the  Valley  of  Mexico  north  to 
Central  and  Western  Texas,  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  and  Southern 
Arizona. 

(a)  Chestnut-bellied  scaled  partridge  {Callipepla  squamata  Castanet- 

gastra). 

Similar  to  No.  16,  except  more  or  less  extensive  patch  of  chestnut 
on  belly. 

Hab. — Northeastern  Mexico  and  lower  Rio  Grande  Valley. 

14.  California  Vsir\.x\A%^.—Lophortyx  calif  amicus^ 

General  color  blue  ;  crest  black,  narrow  at  base,  wider  at  end  ;  fore- 
head buff ;  occiput  dark  chestnut,  bordered  on  sides  with  black,  fol- 
lowed by  white  line  ;  line  from  bill  to  eye  white  ;  chin  and  throat  black 
bordered  with  white  ;  back  of  neck,  breast,  and  upper  back  blue  ;  belly 
buff;  abdomen  chestnut ;  bill  black.     Length,  10  in.  ;  wing,  4^  in. 

Female. — Similar,  not  so  handsome ;  crest  shorter  and  brown  ; 
colors  more  subdued. 


APPENDIX  355 

Hab. — Coast  region  of  California,  south  to  Monterey.  Introduced 
in  Oregon,  Washington,  and  British  Columbia. 

{a)    Valley  partridge  {Lophortyx  californicus  vallicold). 

General  appearance  same  as  No.  14  ;  said  to  be  more  grayish  blue 
or  paler  in  color. 

Hab. — Interior  valleys  of  California  and  foot-hills  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada ;  east  to  Panamint  Mountains,  south  to  Cape  St.  Lucas. 

15.  Gambel's  Partridge. — Lophortyx  gambeli. 

Top  of  head  chestnut ;  forehead  black  crossed  by  narrow  white 
line  between  eyes,  white  stripe  behind  the  eye  bordered  with  black 
above  ;  throat  black  bordered  with  white  ;  upper  parts  and  tail  blue  ; 
wings  with  brownish  tinge ;  lower  part  buff ;  abdomen  black ;  plume 
black,  feathers  wider  at  ends  ;  bill  black  ;  feet  and  legs  gray.  Length, 
10  in.  ;  wing,  4f  in. 

Female. — Similar ;  throat  dark  buff ;  shorter  crest. 

Hab. — Western  Texas,  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Southern  Utah  and 
Nevada,  Southern  California  in  the  Colorado  Valley,  and  southward 
into  Northwestern  Mexico. 

16.  Mountain  Partridge. — Oreortyx  pictus. 

Top  of  head,  sides  of  neck,  and  breast  slate  blue  ;  upper  parts  and 
wings  deep  olive  brown  ;  crest,  long  straight  black  feathers  ;  chin 
white ;  throat  chestnut  bordered  with  black  and  white  ;  middle  of  belly 
white ;  tail  olive  brown  mottled  with  black  ;  bill  black.  Length,  10  in. ; 
wing,  5f  in. 

Female, — Similar ;  crest  feathers  shorter. 

Hab. — Pacific  Coast  region  from  San  Francisco  Bay  north  to  Wash- 
ington.    Introduced  on  Vancouver  Island. 

{a)  Plumed  partridge  {Oreortyx  pictus  plumiferous). 

Closely  resembles  No.  16  ;  habits  the  same. 

Hab. — Sif.rra  Nevada  (both  slopes)  east  to  Panamint  Mountains 
and  to  Mount  Magruder,  Nevada ;  south  in  the  coast  ranges  from 
San  Francisco  Bay  to  Lower  California. 

{b)  San  Pedro  partridge  (  Oreortyx  pictus  confinis). 
Another  similar  bird. 
Hab. — San  Pedro  Mountains.  Lower  California. 


356  APPENDIX 

17.  Bob-white. — Colinus  virginianus. 

General  color  brown,  marked  with  black  ;  throat  and  stripe  over  the 
eye  white ;  top  of  head  and  neck  dark  brown  ;  back,  rump,  and  upper 
tail  coverts  brown  ;  breast  and  under  parts  white  with  black  markings ; 
bill  black  ;  legs  and  feet  gray.     Length,  g}4.  in.  ;  wing,  4^  in. 

Female. — Similar ;  throat  and  stripe  over  the  eye  buff,  instead  of 
white . 

Hab. — Eastern  United  States  and  Southern  Ontario,  from  South- 
ern Maine  to  the  South  Atlantic  and  west  to  central  South  Dakota, 
Nebraska,  Kansas,  Oklahoma,  and  Eastern  Texas.  Of  late  years  has 
gradually  extended  its  range  westward  along  lines  of  railroad  and  settle- 
ments ;  also  introduced  at  various  points  in  Colorado,  New  Mexico, 
Arizona,  Utah,  Idaho,  California,  Oregon,  and  Washington.  Breeds 
throughout  its  range. 

[a)  Florida  Bob-white  {Colinus  virginianus  Jloridanus) . 

Pattern  and  markings  the  same  as  No.  17  ;  somewhat  darker  and 
smaller  bird. 

Hab, — Florida. 

{b)   Texan  Bob-white  {Colinus  virginianus  texanus). 

Pattern  and  markings  the  same  as  No.  17  ;  smaller  and  more  gray 
in  color. 

Hab. — Southern  and  Western  Texas  and  Mexico. 

{c)  Masked  Bob-white  {Colinus  ridgwayi). 

Head  black,  mixed  with  chestnut  on  top,  white  line  over  eye  ;  throat 
back  instead  of  white;  same  habits  ;  same  whistle.     Length,  8^  in. 
Hab. — Southern  Arizona  to  Sonora,  Mex. 

A^<?/(f.— There  are  a  number  of  other  Bob- whites  described  by  ornithologists 
as  more  or  less  different  from  No.  17.  These  are  found  south  of  the  Rio 
Grande  in  Mexico  and  Central  America.  The  differences  are  unimportant  to 
sportsmen. 

Mr.  Rene  Bache  (quoted  in  Sportsman's  Review,  May  23,  1903)  claims  that 
the  partridge  Bob-white  is  easily  tamed  and  that  it  breeds  readily  in  captivity. 
The  matter  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  sportsmen  who  are  interested  in 
game  preserves.  Mr.  Bache  says :  "  The  birds  may  be  kept  in  flocks  at  liberty 
like  any  other  domestic  fowl,  requiring  only  to  be  sheltered  during  the  cold 
months.  Their  natural  increase  is  large,  the  species  being  remarkably  prolific. 
A  few  wild  birds  to  start  with  are  easily  obtained,  and  if  captured  in  the  early 
winter  may  be  expected  to  lay  in  the  following  spring  and  again  in  the  early 


APPENDIX  357 

fall.  The  female  produces  two  broods  a  year,  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  young  ones 
each,  and  it  is  rare  for  an  egg  to  fail  to  produce  a  bird.  By  slowly  removing 
some  of  the  eggs  from  the  nest,  after  the  first  few  have  been  laid,  the  output 
can  be  increased  to  fifty  or  even  sixty  eggs  for  a  season,  the  extra  ones  being 
hatched  under  a  hen.  Experiments  have  been  made  with  incubators  for  hatch- 
ing quail  (partridge)  eggs,  and  with  some  degree  of  success,  but  the  hen  serves 
admirably  for  the  purpose.  It  should  be  a  hen  of  gentle  disposition  and  hght 
weight,  so  as  not  to  smash  the  treasures  confided  to  her,  and  a  bantam  seems  to 
be  well  adapted  for  the  business."  Mr.  Bache  describes  at  length  the  method 
of  rearing  the  young,  but  his  story  would  be  more  satisfactory  if  it  were  accom- 
panied with  some  statement  of  facts  concerning  those  who  have  experimented 
with  partridge  domestication.  A  general  opinion  has  prevailed  that  these  birds 
were  not  easily  tamed  and  that  they  did  not  breed  in  confinement.  The  editor 
of  the  Review,  says,  however  :  "  In  future  years  it  is  probable  the  breeding  of 
quail  (partridges)  for  stocking  depleted  resorts  will  be  conducted  in  a  system- 
atic manner  by  the  game  and  fish  commissioners  of  nearly  all  the  States." 
Our  partridges  are  far  better  game  birds  than  the  imported  pheasants,  to  which 
much  time  and  attention  has  been  given.  Partridges  can  without  doubt  be 
raised  in  considerable  numbers  in  a  wild  state  on  farms  where  they  are  cared 
for  and  protected  at  all  times.  I  should  be  glad  to  see  the  evidence  that  they 
can  be  bred  in  captivity. 

"  No  person  shall  shoot  at  any  quail  except  when  they  are  flying  " — Ohio 
laws,  1902.  This  would  be  a  good  law  for  all  the  States.  The  word  part- 
ridge should  be  used  in  the  statute  however.  Since  there  are  no  quails  in 
America  a  conviction  under  the  Ohio  law  would  be  hardly  possible. 

18.  Massena  Partridge. — Crytonyx  montezuma. 

Forehead  black  with  white  stripe  passing  upward  from  nostril ;  top 
of  head  brown  barred  with  black  ;  short,  thick  crest  brown  ;  triangular 
black  patch  beneath  the  eye  ;  head  marked  with  white  as  pictured ; 
upper  parts  brown  barred  with  black  ;  sides  of  breast  and  flanks  dusky 
black  spotted  with  white,  resembling  small  guinea-hen;  bill  black. 
Length,  Z)^  in.;  wing,  5  in. 

Female. — Brown,  upper  parts  barred  with  black,  black  spots  on 
lower  chest  and  flanks. 

Hab. — Table-lands  of  Mexico,  from  the  City  of  Mexico  north  to 
Western  Texas,  New  Mexico,  and  Arizona. 


358  APPENDIX 


BOOK    II 

WILD-FOWL   OR    SWIMMERS,— THE   SWANS,  GEESE,    BRANT,  DUCKS, 
AND   MERGANSERS,   AnattdcE. 

19.  Whistling  Swan. — Cygnus  columbianus . 

Plumage  white  ;  feet  and  bill  black.  Length  about  53  in.  Easily 
distinguished  from  Trumpeter  Swan  (No.  20)  by  smaller  size  and  by 
yellow  spot  near  the  eye.  Young  birds  for  first  five  years  are  gray,  be- 
coming lighter  each  year. 

Hab. — North  America,  Arctic  regions  to  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

20.  Trumpeter  Swan. — Cygnus  buccinator. 

Plumage  white ;  feet  and  bill  black.  Length  about  63  in.  Distin- 
guished from  Whistling  Swan  by  size  and  weight  and  by  absence  of 
yellow  spot  near  the  eye.     Young  birds  gray. 

Hab. — Interior  North  America  west  to  Pacific  Coast,  Arctic  regions 
to  Gulf.  Accidental  on  Atlantic  Coast.  Breeds  in  North  Dakota  and 
some  other  Northern  States. 

Note. — The  young  swans  are  fairly  good  to  eat ;  as  they  grow  older  they  are 
less  desirable.     To  cook  a  swan  : 

"  Take  three  pounds  of  beef,  beat  fine  in  a  mortar, 
Put  into  the  swan, — that  is  when  you've  caught  her, 
Some  pepper,  salt,  mace,  some  nutmeg,  an  onion 
Will  heighten  the  flavor  in  Gourmand's  opinion. 
Then  tie  it  up  tight,  with  a  small  piece  of  tape, 
That  the  gravy  and  other  things  may  not  escape. 

"  To  a  gravy  of  beef  good  and  strong  I  opine 
You'll  be  right  if  you  add  a  half  pint  of  port  wine. 
Pour  this  through  the  swan,  yes,  quite  through  the  belly. 
Then  serve  the  whole  up  with  some  hot  currant  jelly. " 

—Rev.  J.  C.  Matchett. 

21.  Cackling  Goose. — Branta  canadensis  minima. 

Same  as  No.  23,  excepting  smaller  size.     Length  about  24  in. 
//■<a;/^.— Alaska  to  California  ;  occasional  in  Mississippi  Valley. 

22.  Hutchins  Goose. — Branta  canadensis  hutchinsii. 

Same  as  Canada  goose  No.  23,  only  smaller.  Length  about  30  in. 
Largest  Hutchins  goose  will  rarely  equal  in  size  the  smallest  Canada 
goose.     (Elliot.) 

Hab. — Western  North  America,  Mississippi  Valley  to  Pacific  Coast ; 
rare  on  Atlantic  Coast. 


APPENDIX  359 

23.  Canada  Goose. — Branta  canadensis. 
Common  Wild  Goose. 

Head  and  neck  black ;  triangular  white  patch  on  each  cheek  ex- 
tending over  throat ;  upper  parts  brown,  the  feathers  tipped  with  light 
brown ;  rump,  tail,  and  primaries  black ;  lower  parts  gray,  white  in 
anal  region  ;  bill,  legs,  and  feet  black.  Average  size,  38  in.  Young 
birds  have  white  cheek  patches  speckled  with  black. 

Hab. — North  America.  Arctic  regions  to  Gulf  of  Mexico,  Atlantic 
to  Pacific. 

[a)    White-cheeked  Goose  [Branta  canadensis  occidentalis). 
Very  similar  to  Canada  goose ;  more  or  less  distinct  white  collar 
at  base  of  black  neck.     Length,  33  to  36  in. 
Hab. — Alaska  to  California. 

24.  Black  Brant. — Branta  nigrans. 

Head,  neck,  upper  part  breast,  abdomen  and  tail  black ;  bill,  legs 
and  feet  black ;  white  collar  on  neck  interrupted  behind  ;  upper  parts 
and  wings  dark  brown ;  crissum,  sides  of  rump,  upper  and  under  tail 
coverts  white  ;  abdomen  and  breast  blackish.     Length  about  25  in. 

Hab. — Western  North  America,  Arctic  region  to  Lower  California. 

25.  Brant  Goose. — Branta  bemicla. 

Head,  neck,  breast,  back  at  base  of  neck,  and  tail  black ;  patch  of 
white  on  either  side  of  head ;  upper  parts  brownish  gray  ;  under  parts 
grayish  white  ;  pure  white  about  and  under  tail ;  rump  brownish  black ; 
bill,  legs,  and  feet  black.     Length,  24-30  in. 

Hab. — Eastern  North  America,  chiefly  about  Atlantic  Coast ;  rare 
in  Mississippi  Valley. 

26.  Emperor  Goose. — Philacte  canagica. 

Head  and  back  of  neck  white  ;  throat  and  forepart  of  neck  brown- 
ish black ;  feathers  on  lower  part  of  neck,  with  a  small  white  spot  at 
tip  ;  back  and  under  parts  bluish  gray ;  lower  back  and  upper  tail  cov- 
erts bluish  gray ;  bill  pale  purplish  ;  legs  and  feet  orange.  Length, 
26  in.     Young :  head  and  neck  brownish  black. 

Hab. — Coast  and  islands  of  Alaska. 

27.  Ross  Snow  Goose. — Exanthemops  rossii. 

Plumage  white,  except  primaries,  which  are  black.  Bill,  legs,  and 
feet  red.     Length  about  33  in. 

Hab. — Arctic  regrions  to  Southern  California,  east  to  Montana. 


36o  APPENDIX 

28.  Lesser  Snow  Goost.— Chen  hyperboreus. 

Same  as  greater  snow-goose  (No.  31),  only  smaller.  Length  about 
25  in. 

Hab. — Western  North  America  from  Valley  of  Mississippi  to  Pa- 
cific Coast ;  Alaska  to  Southern  California. 

29.  Blue  Goose. — Chen  Ccerulescens. 

Head  and  upper  part  of  neck  white  ;  breast,  back,  and  wings  gray- 
ish brown ;  wing  coverts  and  rump  bluish  gray ;  under  parts  white  ; 
tail  brownish  gray ;  bill  pale  pinkish ;  legs  and  feet  red.  Length  about 
28  in.     Young,  like  adult,  except  head  and  neck  grayish  brown. 

Hab. — Interior  North  America,  Hudson  Bay  to  Gulf  of  Mexico ;  not 
on  Pacific  Coast. 

30.  White-fronted  Goose. — Anser  albifrons. 

Head  and  neck  brown,  except  forepart  of  head  white ;  back  and 
wings  grayish  brown,  tipped  with  white ;  primaries  black  ;  rump 
slate  brown;  lower  parts  grayish  white;  bill,  legs  and  feet  orange. 
Length,  28  in.     Young :  no  white  on  head. 

Hab. — North  America ;  rare  on  Atlantic  Coast 

31.  Greater  Snow  Goose. — Chen  hyperboreus  nivalis. 

Plumage  white  except  primaries,  which  are  black ;  bill  purplish  red ; 
legs  and  feet  orange  red.  Young :  head,  neck,  and  upper  parts  gray. 
Length,  34  in. 

Hab. — Arctic  Sea  to  Gulf,  Valley  of  Mississippi  to  Atlantic  Ocean. 

32.  Fulvous  Tree  Duck. — Dendrocygna  fulva. 

Head  yellowish  brown,  darker  on  top  ;  ring  of  black  feathers  with 
white  centres  on  middle  of  neck ;  lower  part  of  neck  yellowish  brown  ; 
back  black  barred  with  cinnamon ;  tail  black ;  throat  buffy  white ; 
under  parts  cinnamon ;  upper  part  breast  yellowish  brown ;  legs  and 
feet  slate  blue  ;  bill  bluish  black.     Length,  20  in. 

Female. — Similar  to  male. 

Hab. — States  of  Nevada,  California,  Louisiana,  Texas,  Mexico. 
Accidental  in  Missouri  and  North  Carolina. 

33.  Black-bellied  Tree  Duck. — Dendrocygna  autumnalis. 

Head  gray,  cinnamon  on  top ;  chin  and  throat  gray  white ;  neck, 
upper  portion  breast,  back  and  scapulars  cinnamon  brown  ;  middle 
back,  rump,  and  upper  tail  coverts  black  ;  white  tint  on  wing ;  lower 


APPENDIX  361 

parts  and  sides  of  breast  yellowish  brown;  abdomen  and  flanks 
black  ;  bill  red  ;  legs  and  feet  flesh  color.     Length,  19  in. 

Female. — Resembles  male. 

//iz/^.— Southwestern  States  nearest  Mexico;  south  through  Mex- 
ico to  South  America. 

34.  Canvas-back. — Aristonetta  valisneria. 

Head  dark  chestnut  red,  black  on  top ;  upper  part  of  back,  chest, 
rump,  upper  and  lower  tail  coverts  black ;  back  and  sides  white,  with 
narrow  waved  black  lines  which  give  back  gray  or  canvas  appearance, 
similar  to  that  of  redhead,  only  waved  black  lines  in  latter  are  wider, 
causing  back  to  appear  darker;  bill  black  and  sloping  gradually  from 
outline  of  head ;  legs  and  feet  gray  ;  tail  black.     Length,  20  in. 

Female. — Head,  neck,  chest,  and  upper  part  of  back  dark  brownish- 
red,  darkest  on  top  ;  rest  of  back  and  sides  dark  brown  ;  bill  and  feet 
same  as  male. 

Hab. — North  America.     Breeds  in  Northern  United  States. 

35.  Ringed-neck  Duck. — Fuligula  collaris. 

Similar  to  lesser  scaup  (No.  38),  excepting  a  more  or  less  well-de- 
fined chestnut  red  collar  or  ring  around  middle  of  neck .  Length  about 
i^yi  in.     Intermediate  in  size  between  scaup  and  lesser  scaup. 

Hab. — North  America.     Breeds  in  Northern  United  States. 

36.  Labrador  Duck. — Camptolcemus  labradorius. 
Pied  Duck. 

Centre  of  crown  black  ;  rest  of  head,  throat,  and  upper  neck  white ; 
back  black ;  wing  white  except  primaries  fuscous  ;  front  and  sides  of 
upper  breast  white ;  lower  breast  and  belly  black.  Length,  20  in. ; 
wing,  8>^  in. 

Hab. — Formerly  North  Atlantic  Coast,  breeding  from  Labrador 
northward,  and  in  winter  migrating  southward  to  Long  Island  ;  doubt- 
less now  extinct. 

Formerly  not  unusual  to  see  them  in  Fulton  Market,  New  York. 
The  cause  of  this  duck's  extinction  is  unknown. — Chapman.  See  also 
paper  on  this  species,  The  Auk,  Vol.  VIII.  (1891),  pp.  201-16. 

37.  Scaup  Duck. — Fuligula  marila. 
Blue-bill. 

Black-head.  • 

Head,  neck,  foreparts  of  back,  and  chest  black,  with  green  reflec- 
tions on  head  and  neck;  lower  back,  rump,  upper  and  lower  tail  cov- 


362  APPENDIX 

erts  black ;  middle  of  back,  sides,  flanks,  and  anal  region,  white  waved 
with  black  lines ;  tail  blackish  brown  ;  belly  white  ;  bill,  legs,  and  feet 
bluish  gray.     Length  about  19  in. 

Female.— Forehtad  and  sides  of  bill  at  base  white ;  rest  of  head, 
neck,  and  breast  dark  brown ;  upper  parts  dusky  brown ;  belly  white ; 
bill,  legs,  and  feet  same  as  male. 

Had. — North  America ;  breeds  in  North  Dakota  and  other  Northern 
States. 

38.  Lesser  Scaup  Duck. — Fuligula  affinis. 

Same  in  pattern  markings  as  preceding  (No.  37),  excepting  reflec- 
tions on  head,  which  are  said  to  be  purple  instead  of  green  ;  smaller. 
Length  about  16  in. 

Hab.—^ox\h  America.     Breeds  in  Northern  United  States. 

39.  Redhead. — ^Ahyia  Americana. 

Head  and  neck  chestnut  red,  redder  than  that  of  canvas-back,  and 
glossed  with  purple  at  times ;  upper  back,  rump,  and  upper  and  lower 
tail  coverts  black  ;  back  and  sides  white  with  black  waved  lines  wider 
than  those  of  canvas-back  and  more  like  those  of  black-head  or  scaup 
duck ;  tail  dark  brown  ;  bill  blue ;  legs  and  feet  grayish  blue.  Length 
about  i^Yz  in. 

Female. — Head  and  neck  pale  brown ;  back  grayish  brown ;  bill 
and  feet  same  as  male. 

Hab. — North  America.     Breeds  in  Northern  States. 

40.  BufHe-head  Duck. — Charitonetta  albeola. 
Butter-Ball. 

Head  black  with  metallic  green  or  purple  reflections,  with  broad 
white  band  from  behind  eye  to  top  of  head ;  feathers  of  head  puffed 
out,  giving  head  large  appearance ;  back  and  rump  black ;  lower  part 
neck,  under  parts  and  patch  on  wing,  white  ;  tail  dark  gray ;  legs  and 
feet  flesh  color.     Length  about  i4>^  in. 

Female. — Head  and  neck  dark  brown  with  white  patch  on  cheeks ; 
upper  parts  blackish  brown  ;  upper  part,  breast,  sides,  anal  region,  and 
lower  tail  coverts  dull  gray;  rest  of  under  parts  white;  bill  dusky; 
legs  and  feet  bluish  gray. 

Hab. — North  America. 

41.  Surf  Scoter.— CEdemia perspicillata. 

Plumage  black,  except  triangular  spot  on  forehead,  with  point  for- 
ward and  another  on  nape,  white ;  bill  red  orange.     Length,  21  in. 


APPENDIX  363 

Female. — Brownish  black  with  white  patch  on  lores  and  another 
behind  ears. 

Hab. — North  America  from  Atlantic  to  Pacific ;  south  to  Florida, 
Ohio  River,  Lower  California. 

42.  Hooded  Merganser. — Lophodytes  cucullatus. 

Head,  neck,  and  back  black  ;  crest  white  ;  white  patch  on  wing  di- 
vided by  black  bar ;  rump  dark  brown ;  in  front  of  wing,  on  sides  of  chest, 
two  black  and  white  crescentic  bars,  pointed  at  one  end;  under  parts 
white ;  bill  black ;  legs  and  feet  yellowish  brown ;  iris  yellow. 
Length,  18  in. 

Female. — Head,  neck,  and  upper  parts  grayish  brown ;  crest 
brown  ;  patch  on  wing  white  crossed  by  black  bar ;  under  parts  white  ; 
tail  dark  grayish  brown  ;  bill  black ;  mandible  orange ;  feet  light 
brown;  iris  hazel.     Length,  i6>^  in. 

Hab. — North  America.     Breeds  throughout  its  range. 

43.  Red-breasted  Merganser. — Merganser  serrator. 

Head  and  crest  black  reflecting  green  and  purple;  white  nng 
around  neck;  lower  back  and  rump  gray  mottled  with  black  and 
white ;  wing  mostly  white  crossed  by  two  black  bars ;  lower  neck  and 
upper  breast  pale  cinnamon  streaked  with  black  ;  under  parts  white ; 
bill  red  ;  legs  and  feet  orange  red.     Length,  22>^  in. 

Female. — Head  and  neck  brownish  buff  or  cinnamon  ;  white  patch 
on  wing  divided  by  black  bar  ;  throat  and  under  parts  white  ;  bill,  legs 
and  feet  similar  to  male. 

Hab. — Northern  parts  of  both  hemispheres. 

44.  American  Merganser. — Merganser  americanus. 

Head  and  neck  black,  reflecting  green;  upper  parts  black;  rump 
and  tail  coverts  gray ;  wing  white  with  black  bar ;  under  parts  salmon 
color,  which  fades  after  death  (Elliot)  ;  tail  gray ;  bill  and  feet  red. 
Length,  26  in. 

Female. — Head  and  neck  reddish  brown  ;  chin  and  throat  white  ; 
under  parts  ash  gray;  white  speculum  on  wing.     Length,  22>^  in. 

Hab. — North  America,  breeding  in  United  States. 

45.  Golden  Eye. — Clangula  dangula. 

Head  and  upper  part  of  neck  glossy  green  with  purple  reflections ; 
large  white  spot  between  bill  and  eye  ;  lower  part  of  neck,  upper  part 


364  APPENDIX 

of  back,  greater  wing  coverts  and  under  parts  white ;  rest  of  upper 
parts  black  ;  bill  greenish  black ;  legs  and  feet  orange.    Length,  20  in. 

Female. — Head  and  upper  neck  brown ;  collar  on  neck  white  ; 
back  blackish  brown  ;  under  parts  white. 

Hab. — North  America. 

(a) — Harrow's  Golden  Eye  is  a  similar  bird.  Head  bluish  black,  reflect- 
ing green.  Found  only  in  interior,  from  Arctic  regions  south  to  New  York, 
Colorado,  etc. 

46.  Long-tailed  Duck. — Havelda  glacialis. 
Old  Squaw. 

Male^  winter  plumage. — Head,  white,  gray  on  sides ;  neck,  back 
and  upper  parts  of  back  and  chest  white ;  middle  back,  rump,  upper 
tail  coverts  and  wings  black ;  scapulars  pearl  gray ;  tail  black  on 
median  feathers,  central  pair  elongated,  outer  feathers  white ;  breast 
and  upper  part  abdomen  brown  ;  bill  orange ;  legs  and  feet  bluish 
gray. 

Summer. — Head,  neck,  and  upper  parts  sooty  black,  except  lores ; 
forepart,  cheeks  and  sides  of  forehead  mouse  gray ;  under  parts  and 
flanks  white  ;  bill  black  with  broad  rose-pink  band  crossing  in  front  of 
nostrils  ;  legs  and  feet  pale  bluish  white.  Length,  21  to  23  in.,  depend- 
ing on  tail  feathers. 

Female,  winter  plumage. — Head,  neck,  and  lower  parts  white,  ex- 
cept forehead  and  crown  dusky  ;  upper  parts  dark  brown  ;  tail  grayish 
brown ;  central  pair  not  elongated  as  in  male. 

Hab. — Northern  hemisphere.  North  America,  Arctic  Sea  to 
Florida  and  California. 

47.  Harlequin  Duck. — Histrionicus  histrionicus. 

Head  and  neck  dark  gray  glossed  with  violet,  marked  with  white 
stripes  and  spots  ;  forehead,  crown,  and  nape  black  ;  upper  parts  slaty 
blue,  grading  into  blue-black  on  lower  part  of  rump  and  upper  tail 
coverts  ;  breast  and  abdomen  gray ;  sides  and  flanks  rufous ;  specu- 
lum deep  bluish  violet ;  bill  gray  ;  legs  and  feet  bluish  gray.  Length, 
17/^  in. 

Female. — Head,  neck,  and  upper  parts  dark  brown  ;  head  marked 
with  white  spots  before  and  behind  the  eye  ;  breast,  sides,  and  flanks 
reddish  brown ;  abdomen  white ;  bill,  legs  and  feet  dark  bluish  gray. 
Length,  17  in. 

Hab. — North  America,  from  Arctic  regions  to  Middle  States  and 
California. 


APPENDIX  365 

48.  Ruddy  Duck. — Erismatura  jamaicensis. 

Upper  parts  of  head,  including  eye  and  nape,  glossy  black  ;  sides  of 
head  and  chin  white  ;  throat,  neck,  back,  upper  tail  coverts,  scapulars, 
and  flanks  bright  reddish  chestnut ;  lower  back  and  rump  grayish 
brown ;  tail  brownish  black ;  under  parts  white  ;  bill,  legs,  and  feet 
grayish  blue.     Length,  16  in. 

Female. — Upper  head  dark  brown  ;  cheeks  brown,  white  stripe 
from  below  the  eye  to  nape ;  upper  parts  dusky  brown  ;  lower  parts 
silvery  white ;  bill  blue ;  legs  and  feet  bluish  gray.  Length  about 
i^Yz  in. 

Hab, — North  America,  except  Alaska.  Breeds  from  Hudson  Bay 
to  Guatemala. 

49.  Masked  Duck. — Nomonyx  dominicus. 

Head,  excepting  throat  and  chin,  black ;  nape,  throat,  neck,  back, 
scapulars,  and  upper  tail  coverts  dark  cinnamon  ;  lower  back  and 
rump  dark  brown  spotted  with  black ;  breast  dark  cinnamon  grading 
into  reddish  buff ;  wings  dark  brown  with  white  speculum ;  under  tail 
coverts  cinnamon  blotched  with  black  ;  tail  dark  brown  ;  bill  and  eye- 
lids pale  blue  ;  legs  and  feet  brown.     Length  about  1 5  in. 

Female. — Head  buff,  light  on  chin  and  throat ;  top  of  head  black  ; 
stripe  from  base  of  bill  through  eye  to  occiput,  and  one  from  gape  to 
occiput  black ;  neck  buff  mottled  with  brown ;  upper  parts  black ; 
wings  dark  brown ;  speculum  white ;  primaries  and  tail  brownish 
black  ;  under  parts  ochraceous  spotted  with  black  on  breast ;  bill  horn 
brown.     Length,  13  in. 

Hab. — Tropical  America  from  West  Indies  and  Northern  South 
America  to  Lower  Rio  Grande,  straggling  as  far  as  Massachusetts 
and  Wisconsin.  An  accidental  visitor  only  to  United  States.  Related 
to  Ruddy  Duck,  but  does  not  go  in  as  large  flocks.  Flesh  is  as  good  as 
that  of  Ruddy.     Expert  diver,  and  difficult  to  recover  when  wounded. 

50.  White-winged  Scoter. — Oidemia  deglandi. 

Entire  plumage  black,  except  small  spot  under  eye  and  speculum  on 
wing  white  ;  bill  black,  red,  and  white  ;  legs  and  feet  scarlet.  Length, 
20  in. 

Female. — Sooty  brown ;  white  spots  on  head ;  bill  dusky ;  legs 
and  feet  duller  than  thos?  of  the  male,  flesh  color  tinged  with  black. 

Hab. — Northern  portions  North  America  on  both  coasts,  south  to 
Chesapeake,  Southern  Illinois,  Lower  California. 


366  APPENDIX 

{a)  American  Scoter  [Oidemia  americand). 

Entire  plumage  black,  no  speculum;  bill,  black  and  orange  on 
basal  half ;  legs  and  feet  black.     Length,  i8  in. 

Female, — Sooty  brown  ;  bill  black,  sometimes  marked  with  yellow ; 
legs  and  feet  olive  brown.     Length,  i8  in. 

Hab.—^Q)X\h  America,  Arctic  region  to  New  Jersey  on  east  coast, 
California  on  Pacific ;  Great  Lakes.     Accidental  in  Missouri. 

51.  King  Eider. — Somateria  spectabilis. 

Top  of  head  gray,  cheeks  pale  green ;  head,  throat,  neck,  upper 
part  of  neck,  wing  coverts,  and  large  patch  on  each  side  of  rump  white  ; 
line  along  base  of  bill,  spot  beneath  the  eye,  and  broad  V-shaped 
mark  from  chin  along  sides  of  throat,  black ;  breast  dark  cream  color ; 
lower  back,  rump,  and  rest  of  under  parts  black  ;  tail  brownish  black. 
Length,  23  in. 

Female. — Head,  chin,  throat  dark  buff  streaked  with  brown  ;  chest 
and  sides  light  buff ;  back  and  under  parts  blackish  brown  ;  tail  black  ; 
legs  and  feet  dull  ochre.     Length,  23  in. 

Hab. — Arctic  regions,  south  on  Atlantic  to  Georgia,  Great  Lakes. 
Not  found  on  Pacific  south  of  Alaska. 

Note. — The  Pacific  Eider  and  the  Spectacled  Eider  are  similar  birds,  found 
only  in  Alaska. 

52.  American  Eider. — Somateria  dresseri. 

Top  of  head  black  with  white  stripe  on  occiput ;  cheeks,  chin,  throat, 
and  neck  black ;  lesser  and  middle  wing  coverts  and  patch  on  either 
side  of  rump  white ;  greater  wing  coverts  and  secondaries  brownish 
black;  lower  part  of  back,  rump,  upper  and  under  tail  coverts,  and 
under  parts  below  breast,  black  ;  breast  cream  color ;  tail  brown  ;  bill 
olive  green  ;  legs  and  feet  green.     Length,  22  in. 

Female. — Plumage  brown  ;  head  streaked  with  narrow  black  lines ; 
bill,  legs,  and  feet  like  male.     Size  same. 

Hab. — North  America  from  Labrador  to  Delaware  on  Atlantic 
Coast ;  occasional  on  Great  Lakes. 

{a)  Eider  {Somateria  mollissima). 

Very  similar  to  No.  52,  the  description  of  one  answers  well  for  the 
other. 

Hab. — Northeastern  coast  North  America,  south  to  Massachu- 
setts. 


APPENDIX  367 

53.  Blue-winged  Teal. — Querquedula  discors. 

Head  and  neck  gray,  black  on  top  and  chin ;  crescent-shaped  mark 
of  white  on  head  between  bill  and  eye ;  back  gray  with  bars  of  buff ; 
wing,  patch  metallic  green  with  white  bar  in  front ;  lesser  wing  cov- 
erts pale  blue ;  lower  back  and  tail  dusky  with  white  patch  on  each 
side  of  tail ;  under  parts  and  sides  reddish  buff ;  bill  black ;  legs  and 
feet  yellow.     Length,  15  in. 

Female. — Head  and  neck  dusky  gray,  black  on  top ;  chin  and  throat 
white ;  upper  parts  dusky,  barred  with  V-shaped  buff  marks ;  wing 
coverts  blue,  like  male ;  no  green  wing  patch ;  bill  black ;  legs  and 
feet  pale  flesh  color.     Length,  15  in. 

Hab. — North  America  in  general,  but  chiefly  the  Eastern  Province ; 
north  to  Alaska,  and  south  to  the  West  Indies  and  Northern  South 
America ;  breeds  from  the  Northern  United  States  northward. 

54*  Cinnamon  Teal. — Querquedula  cyanoptera. 

Head,  neck,  and  lower  parts  chestnut,  darker  on  top ;  wing  coverts 
pale  blue ;  wing  patch  green  with  white  bar  above ;  bill  black ;  legs 
and  feet  orange.     Length,  17  in. 

Female.  —Similar  to  female  blue-winged  teal,  but  more  reddish. 
Length,  idyi  in. 

Hab. — Western  America  from  Columbia  River  South  to  Chili, 
Patagonia,  and  Falkland  Islands  ;  East  in  North  America  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains  ;  casual  in  Mississippi  valley. 

55.  Dusky  Duck.— ^//^ J  obscura. 

Head  and  throat  buff,  streaked  with  dusky  black  on  top  and  back 
of  neck ;  remainder  of  plumage  dusky  black,  paler  beneath ;  wing 
patch  violet,  sometimes  reflecting  green,  edged  with  black ;  bill  yellow ; 
legs  and  feet  orange  red.     Length  about  22  in. 

Female. — Same  as  male. 

Hab. — Eastern  North  America  from  Labrador  to  Florida  (where  re- 
placed by  Florida  dusky  duck  {a)  below)  ;  west  to  Valley  of  Mississippi. 

Hab. — Florida. 

{a)  Florida  Dusky  Duck  {Anas  fulvigula). 
Same  as  preceding,  from  sportsman's  point  of  view.     Same  in  ap- 
pearance ;  somewhat  smaller. 

{b)  Mottled  Dti4k  {Anas  fulvigula  maculosa)* 
Similar  to  Florida  dusky. 
Hab, — Eastern  Texas,  Louisiana,  north  to  Kansas. 


368  APPENDIX 

56.  Green-winged  1t.z\.—Nettion  carolinensis. 

Head  and  neck  chestnut,  broad  green  band  from  eye  to  nape,  ter- 
minating in  black  tuft ;  chin  black ;  back  and  sides  waved  with  white 
and  black  narrow  lines;  lower  back  brownish  gray  ;  broad  white  bar  in 
front  of  wing ;  wing  patch  green  bordered  below  by  black  bar  tipped 
with  white ;  breast  red  spotted  with  black  ;  belly  white  ;  bill  black ; 
legs  and  feet  gray.     Length,  14^^  in. 

Female. — Chin  and  throat  buff ;  wing  same  as  male  ;  upper  parts 
dusky ;  breast  dark  buff  and  spotted  ;  bill  black ;  legs  and  feet  gray. 
Length,  14^^  in. 

Hab.—^oxih  America,  breeding  chiefly  north  of  the  United  States 
and  migrating  south  to  Honduras  and  Cuba. 

{a)   The  European   Teal  {anas  crecca). 
An  occasional  visitor  to  our  shores,  is  very  similar  to  the  American 
green-winged  teal. 

57.  Wood  Duck. — ^x  sponsa. 

Head  dark  green,  reflecting  purple  and  blue,  with  long  crest ; 
white  line  over  eye  to  end  of  crest ;  b-oader  white  line  below  the  eye, 
continued  along  lower  edge  of  crest;  breast  chestnut  marked  with 
arrow-shaped  white  marks;  throat  white;  back  dark  brown  glossed 
with  bronze  green ;  wing  coverts  steel  blue  ;  lower  breast  and  abdo- 
men white  ;  tail  black ;  bill  red  ;  legs  and  feet  yellow.     Length,  18  in. 

Female. — Head  gray ;  space  about  eye  and  throat  white ;  back, 
rump,  and  upper  tail  coverts  bronze ;  bill  red ;  legs  and  feet  yellow. 
Length,  18  in. 

Hab. — Temperate  North  America  ;  breeding  throughout  its  range. 

58.  Mallard. — Anas  hose  has. 

Similar  to  green-headed  duck  of  barn-yards.  Head  and  neck  green, 
white  collar ;  back  brown  with  narrow  waved  lines  of  lighter  brown  ; 
wings  slate  brown  ;  speculum  or  wing  patch  purple,  crossed  at  each 
end  with  black  bar  succeeded  by  white  bar ;  breast  chestnut ;  under 
parts  silvery  gray  with  waved  lines  of  black ;  tail  coverts  black ;  tail 
white ;  bill  greenish  yellow ;  legs  and  feet  orange  red.  Length  about 
22  in. 

Female. — Dusky  brown  with  buff  markings  ;  wing  patch  purple. 
Size,  bill,  feet,  and  legs  same  as  male. 

Hab. — Northern  portions  both  hemispheres  ;  breeds  throughout  its 
range. 


APPENDIX  369 

59.  Widgeon. — Mareca  americana. 

Female.— To"^  of  head  black,  feathers  margined  with  white  ;  upper 
parts  dusky  barred  with  buff  ;  wing  coverts  gray,  edged  with  white  ; 
wing  patch  black  and  green;  bill,  legs,  and  feet  same  as  male. 
Length,  18  in. 

Hab. — North  America. 


60.  Widgeon  (See  59). 

Male. — Head  dull  light  buff  speckled  with  black,  white  on  top 
(from  which  named  baldpate) ;  green  patch  behind  the  eye  ex- 
tending on  neck ;  back  vinacious  undulated  with  black ;  wing 
coverts  white ;  black  bar  across  wing ;  wing  patch  green  and  black ; 
lower  breast  and  abdomen  white  ;  bill  gray  blue,  tip  black  ;  legs  and 
feet  gray.     Length,  19  in. 

Young  male  similar  to  female  (No.  59). 

jifote. — The  Widgeon  is  sometimes  called  bald-face.  "  Went  a  ducking  be- 
tween breakfast  and  dinner  and  killed  two  mallards  and  five  bald-faces." — 
Washington  s  Diary. 

Widgeon  when  much  shot  at  on  the  feeding  grounds  will  leave  the  bays  in  the 
daytime  and  return  to  feed  at  sun-set  or  later.  I  recently  heard  them  at  Back- 
bay,  Currituck,  long  after  sun-set,  sounding  their  low,  sweet,  musical  whistle  as 
they  passed  overhead,  returning  to  the  bay. 


61.  Sprig-tail. — Dafila  acuta. 
Pin-tail. 

Head  and  upper  neck  brown,  metallic  reflections  on  sides ;  white 
stripe  on  sides  of  neck,  extending  to  white  under  parts  ;  back  and  sides 
of  flank  waved  with  narrow  white  and  gray  lines ;  cinnamon  bar  across 
wing ;  wing  patch  reflecting  bronze  green,  black  bar  and  white  tip ; 
tail  feathers  brown  on  outer  webs,  gray  on  inner,  central  pair  long, 
extending  beyond  the  others  (hence  name  pin-tail  duck) ;  bill  bluish 
gray  ;  legs  and  feet  brownish  gray.     Length,  26  in. 

Female.  —Head  yellowish  white  streaked  with  gray,  rufous  on  top 
streaked  with  black  ;  back  of  neck  dusky  streaked  with  buff ;  bill  blu- 
ish gray ;  legs  and  feet  gray.     Length,  20  in. 

Hab. — Northern  Hemisphere.  In  North  America  breeds  from  the 
northern  parts  of  the  United  States  northward  and  migrates  south  to 
Panama  and  Cuba. 


370  APPENDIX 

62.  Shoveller. — Spatula  clypeata. 

Head  and  neck  green  ;  upper  part  back  and  breast  white  ;  middle 
back  brown ;  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts  black  glossed  with  green  ; 
wing  coverts  blue ;  narrow  white  band  across  wing ;  wing  patch 
green  ;  under  parts  chestnut ;  bill  black ;  legs  and  feet  orange  red. 
Length,  19  in. 

Female. — Head  and  neck  buff  streaked  with  gray,  brownish  white 
on  top ;  wing  coverts  blue ;  wing  patch  green ;  under  parts  reddish 
buff  ;  bill  olive  brown  ;  legs  and  feet  orange.     Length,  19  in. 

Hab. — Northern  hemisphere,  Alaska  to  Texas,  not  common  on  At- 
lantic Coast. 

63.  Gadwall. — Chaulelasmus  streperus. 
Gray  Duck. 

Head  light  buff,  rufous  on  top  spotted  with  black  and  brown  ;  up- 
per part  back  and  breast  marked  with  crescent-shaped  black  and 
white  bars,  the  former  most  prominent ;  back,  scapulars,  and  flanks 
undulated  with  slate  color  and  white ;  wing  gray ;  wing  patch  white, 
black  stripe  in  front ;  vent  and  under  tail  coverts  black  ;  rest  of  under 
parts  white  ;  bill  bluish  black  ;  legs  and  feet  orange.     Length,  20  in. 

64.  Gadwall  (See  63). 

Female. — Head  tawny  spotted  with  brown  and  buff ;  chin  and 
throat  yellowish  white  ;  winj;;s  like  male  with  white  wing  patch  (but 
little  or  no  black  in  front)  ;  bill  dusky  orange ;  legs  and  feet  dull  yel- 
low.    Length,  19  in. 

Hab. — Arctic  regions  to  Mexico.     Breeds  in  Northern  States. 

BOOK   HI 

THE  SHORE  BIRDS  OR  WADERS,  ORDER  LimiColcU,  LITERALLY  MUD- 
DWELLERS — THE  SNIPES,  SANDPIPERS,  PLOVERS,  AND  OTHER 
WADING   BIRDS. 

65.  Wilson's  Snipe. — Gallinago  delicata. 

Head  black  on  top,  striped  with  buff  ;  neck  buff  with  black  spots , 
back  black  with  brown  and  buff  lines  ;  breast  buff  spotted  with  brown; 
bill  gray,  2K-3  in.  long.     Length,  io}4-ii)4  in.  ;  wing,  5-5;^  in. 

Nab.— North  and  Middle  America,  breeding  from  the  Northern 
United  States  northward.  South  in  winter  to  West  Indies  and  South 
America. 


APPENDIX  371 

Often  called  Jack  snipe,  English  snipe,  marsh  snipe,  shad-bird  or 
shad  spirit. 

(a)  European  Snipe  {Gallinago gallinago.) 

Somewhat  similar.  Listed  in  check-list  of  the  American  Ornitho- 
logical Union  since  specimens  have  been  taken  in  Greenland. 

66.  Knot. —  Tringa  canutus. 

Top  of  head  dark  brown  streaked  with  white ;  back  gray ;  rump 
and  upper  tail  coverts  white  barred  with  black ;  under  parts  white. 
In  summer  the  throat,  breast,  and  sides  of  the  abdomen  are  cinnamon  ; 
middle  of  abdomen  white  ;  bill,  legs,  and  feet  black.  Length,  10  in. ; 
wing,  6^  in. 

//a/5.— Nearly  cosmopolitan.  Breeds  in  high  northern  latitudes, 
but  visits  the  southern  hemisphere  during  its  migrations.  Not  found 
on  Pacific  Coast  of  America  south  of  Alaskan  peninsula. — Elliot. 

67.  Bartramian  Sandpiper. — Bartramia  longicauda. 

General  color  brown,  variegated  with  black  and  buff  ;  head  buff  on 
sides  streaked  with  brown,  black  on  top ;  back  black  marked  with 
buff ;  throat  and  under  parts  buff  marked  with  brown  on  breast  and 
flanks ;  bill  brownish  black ;  feet  and  legs  yellowish  gray.  Length, 
12  in. ;  wing,  6^  in. 

Hab. — North  America,  mainly  east  of  Rocky  Mountains ;  south  in 
winter  to  South  America. 

68.  Dowitcher. — Macrorhamphus  griseus. 
Red-breasted  Snipe. 

General  color  reddish  or  gray  brown.  Similar  in  size  and  length 
of  bill  to  Wilson's  snipe  (No.  65).  Head  and  upper  parts  mixed  with 
buff,  brown,  and  white ;  abdomen  and  belly  white. 

Hab. — Eastern  North  America,  breeding  far  north ;  south  in  win- 
ter to  South  America. 

{a)    Western  Dowitcher,  Long-billed  Dowitcher    {Macrorhamphus 

scohpaceus). 

A  Western  variety  and  similar  to  No.  68,  with  bill  somewhat 
longer. 

Hab. — Mississippi  Valley^nd  Western  Province  of  North  America 
from  Mexico  to  Alaska.  Less  common  but  of  regular  occurrence 
^long  the  Atlantic  Coast  of  the  United  States, 


372  APPENDIX 

69.  American  Woodcock.— F  At  Me  la  minor. 

General  color  brown,  more  gray  in  the  autumn;  head  brown,  dark 
brown  line  from  bill  to  eye ;  top  of  head  black,  crossed  by  narrow  buff 
lines ;  upper  parts  variegated  with  reddish  brown,  black,  and  gray ; 
under  parts  reddish  buff;  bill  brown,  2)^-3  in.  long;  feet  and  legs 
gray.     Length,  io)4-ii){  in. 

Had. — Eastern  North  America,  north  to  British  Provinces ;  west- 
ward to  Dakota,  Kansas,  Nebraska.  Southern  States  in  winter.  Colo- 
rado, not  common. 

{a)  European  Woodcock  {Scolopax  rusticold). 
A  much  larger  bird  than  No.  69.     Easily  distinguished  by  its  size. 
Hab. — An  occasional  visitor  to  Eastern  North  America. 

70.  Pectoral  Sandpiper, —  Tringa  maculata. 

Head  and  upper  parts  pale  gray;  rump  brownish  black;  breast 
and  sides  buff  streaked  with  brown ;  under  parts  white ;  bill  black ; 
legs  and  feet  buff.     Length,  2>%-()  in, ;  wing,  5-5  ^  in. 

Hab. — The  whole  of  North  America,  the  West  Indies,  and  the 
greater  part  of  South  America,     Breeds  in  the  Arctic  regions. 

71.  Hudsonian  Godwit. — Limosa  kcemasHca. 

Head,  back,  and  sides  of  neck  grayish  white ;  back  black  marked 
with  buff,  gray,  and  white  ;  upper  tail  coverts  white  ;  tail  black,  base 
and  tip  white;  throat  white  streaked  with  black;  lower  parts  dark 
chestnut  narrowly  barred  with  black;  bill  flesh  color;  feet  and  legs 
gray  blue.     Length,  14-16  in. ;  wing,  8  in. 

Hab. — Eastern  North  America,  and  whole  of  Middle  and  South 
America.     Also  in  Alaska.     South  in  winter  to  South  America. 

72.  Marbled  Godwit. — Limosa  foeda. 

Head  and  neck  buff  streaked  with  black ;  upper  parts  reddish  buff 
barred  with  black;  white  stripe  from  bill  to  above  the  eye;  throat 
white  ;  under  parts  rufous  barred  with  brown  ;  bill  flesh  color  on  basal 
half,  brown  black  on  remaining  parts;  feet  gray.  Length,  \6%-2oyz 
in.;  wing,  Z}i  in. 

Hab. — North  America  generally,  breeding  in  interior  from  Iowa 
and  Dakota  north ;  south  in  winter  to  Guatemala,  Yucatan,  Cuba,  etc. 

73*  Black-necked  Stilt. — Himantopus  mexicanus. 

Forehead,  spot  above  and  below  the  eye,  chin,  throat,  front  and  sides 
of  neck,  under  parts,  rump  and  tail  coverts  white  ;  rest  of  head,  hind 


APPENDIX  373 

neck,  back  and  wings  black ;  tail  ashy  white ;  easily  distinguished  by 
extremely  long  red  legs ;  bill  black. 

Female. — Back  and  scapulars  brownish  slate.  Length,  15  in. ; 
wing,  9  in. 

Hab. — Temperate  North  America  from  the  Northern  United 
States  southward  to  the  West  Indies,  Northern  Brazil,  and  Peru. 
Rare  in  Eastern  United  States,  except  Florida, 

74.  American  Avocet. — Recurvirostra  americana. 

Head  and  upper  breast  cinnamon ;  chin  white ;  back  brownish 
black ;  easily  distinguished  by  long  pale  blue  legs  and  feet  of  same 
color.     Length,  i^Yz-^^^i  in. ;  wing,  8^-9  in. 

In  winter  head,  neck,  and  breast  are  white. 

Other  names  :  white  snipe,  blue  stocking. 

Hab. — Temperate  North  America,  north  to  Saskatchewan,  south 
to  Central  America.     Rare  in  Eastern  United  States. 

7S«  Hudsonian  Curlew. — Numenius  hudsonicus. 

General  color  grayish  brown  above  ;  under  parts  buff  or  yellowish 
white  ;  sides  of  head  buff  marked  with  narrow  streaks  ;  crown  brown 
with  stripe  of  buff  ;  brown  stripe  from  bill  to  ear  coverts ;  bill  brown- 
ish black;  feet  and  legs  black.     Length,  17  in.;  wing,  9^^  in. 

Hab. — All  of  North  and  South  America,  including  the  West  In- 
dies. Breeds  in  the  high  North  and  winters  chiefly  south  of  the  United 
States. 

Note. — Curlews  are  easily  distinguished  from  the  other  waders  by  their  bills, 
which  curve  downward. 

76.  Eskimo  Curlew. — Numenius  borealis. 

General  color,  upper  parts  black  margined  with  buff  or  yellowish 
white ;  under  parts  yellowish  white  or  buff,  the  breast  streaked  ;  top 
of  head  black  marked  with  buff  ;  black  line  from  bill  to  ear  coverts ; 
rest  of  head  and  neck  buff ;  bill  brownish  black ;  legs  brown. 
Length,  13)^  in.  ;  wing,  8X  in. 

Resembles  No.  75,  but  is  easily  distinguished  by  its  smaller  size. 

Hab. — Eastern  North  America,  breeding  in  the  Arctic  regions  and 
migrating  south  throughout  South  America. 

77«  Pacific  Godwit. — Limosa  capponica  baueri. 

Upper  parts  brownish  gray;  lower  parts  reddish  buff  barred  on 
flanks  and  under  tail  coverts  with  brown  ;  top  of  head  and  hind  neck 


374  APPENDIX 

streaked  with  blackish  brown ;  bill  brown,  flesh  color  on  basal  half. 
Length,  i6  in. ;  wing,  8^  in. 

Hab.  — Shores  and  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean  from  New  Zealand 
and  Australia  to  Kamchatka  and  Alaska.  On  American  coast  re- 
corded south  of  Alaska  only  from  La  Paz,  Lower  California. 

78.  Long-billed  Curlew. — Numenius  longirostris. 

"  The  giant  among  waders,"  easily  distinguished  by  its  size.  Up- 
per parts  reddish  buff  streaked  on  head  and  neck ;  under  parts  light 
buff ;  sides  barred  with  black ;  bill  black ;  legs  and  feet  gray-brown. 
Length,  2  ft. ;  wing,  lo^  in.  Often  called  sickle-bill  and  sickle-bill 
curlew. 

Hab. — Temperate  North  America,  migrating  south  to  Guatemala, 
Cuba,  and  Jamaica.     Breeds  in  South  Atlantic  States  in  winter. 

79.  Willet. — Symphemia  semipalntata. 

Upper  parts  brownish  gray ;  back  barred  with  black ;  breast  and 
sides  barred  with  brownish  gray ;  belly  white ;  bill  black ;  feet  and 
legs  gray.     Length,  16  in.  ;  wing,  Z%  in. 

Hab, — Temperate  North  America,  south  to  the  West  Indies  and 
Brazil. 

{a)    Western  Willet  {^Symphemia  semipalmata  specuhfera),    , 

Slightly  larger  than  No.  79,  not  easily  distinguished, 
Hab. — Western  North  America  to  Mississippi  Valley ;  occasional 
on  Atlantic  Coast. 

80.  Ruff. — Pavoncella  pugnax. 

Male. — Easily  distinguished  by  large  ruff  on  neck ;  neck  and  breast 
reddish  brown  ;  abdomen  and  under  tail  coverts  white ;  much  varia- 
ation  in  color  in  different  specimens.     Length,  i2)4'm.;  wing,  7)4  in. 

Female.— Without  ruff ;  upper  parts  grayish  brown  ;  back  barred 
with  brown  ;  bill  brown ;   legs  and  feet  yellow. 

Hab.  —Northern  parts  of  Old  World,  straying  occasionally  to  East- 
ern North  America. 

81.  Greater  Yellow-legs. —  Totanus  melanoleucus. 

Upper  parts  gray  marked  with  black ;  breast  spotted  with  black ; 
sides  barred  with  black ;  belly  white ;  bill  black ;  feet  and  legs 
Naples  yellow.     Length,  14-15  in.;  wing,  8  in. 


APPENDIX  375 

Hab, — America  in  general.  Breeding  from  Iowa  and  northern 
Illinois,  etc.,  northward,  and  migrating  south  to  Chili  and  Argentine 
Republic. 

{a)   Yellow-legs  {Totanus fiavipes). 

Similar  to  No.  8i,  only  smaller.  Length,  ii  in.;  wing,  6>^  in. 
Always  more  abundant  than  the  larger  birds. 

Hab. — North  America  in  general,  less  common  in  the  West  than 
in  the  Eastern  provinces.  Migrating  south  in  winter  to  Southern  South 
America. 

Note. — I  have  seen  the  yellow-legs  more  abundant  in  North  Dakota  than 
anywhere  in  the  East. 

82.  White-rumped  Sandpiper. —  Tringa  fuscicollis. 

Upper  parts  black,  edged  with  rufous ;  in  winter  brownish  gray ; 
throat  white  ;  neck,  breast,  and  sides  streaked  and  spotted  with  black ; 
bill,  feet,  and  legs  greenish  black.     Length,  7>^  in.  ;  wing,  5  in. 

Hab. — Eastern  North  America,  breeding  in  the  high  North.  In 
winter  the  West  Indies,  Central  and  South  America  south  to  the  Falk- 
land Islands ;  occasional  in  Europe. 

83.  Sanderling. — Calidris  arenaria. 

Upper  parts  dark  gray  with  black  markings,  centre  of  feathers 
black  ;  throat  and  upper  breast  spotted  with  black ;  under  parts 
white  ;  white  bar  on  wing ;  bill,  legs,  and  feet  black.  Length,  8  in.  ; 
wing,  5  in.  Often  called  surf -snipe,  beach  bird  and  ruddy  plover,  usu- 
ally found  on  sea-shores. 

Hab. — Nearly  cosmopolitan.  Breeding  in  the  Arctic  and  Subarctic 
regions,  migrating  in  America  south  to  Chili  and  Patagonia. 

84.  Baird's  Sandpiper. —  Tringa  bairdii. 

Upper  parts  and  top  of  head  gray,  variegated  with  black  ;  sides  of 
head  and  breast  buff  streaked  with  brown  ;  throat  and  under  parts 
white  ;  bill,  feet,  and  legs  black.     Length,  ^yi  in. ;  wing,  4^  in. 

Hab. — Nearly  the  whole  of  North  and  South  America,  but  chiefly 
the  interior  of  North  and  th|  western  portions  of  South  America,  south 
to  Chili,  Patagonia.  Breeds  in  Alaska  and  on  the  Barren  Grounds. 
Rare  along  the  Atlantic  Coast,  and  not  yet  recorded  from  the  Pacific 
Coast  of  the  United  States. 


376  APPENDIX 

85.  stilt  Sandpiper. — Micropahna  hhnantopus. 

Top  of  head,  back,  and  sides  of  neck  gray ;  back  gray ;  under 
parts  white,  streaked  with  gray  on  neck,  breast,  and  lower  tail  coverts. 
In  summer  top  of  head  is  black  streaked  with  yellowish  white ;  line 
from  bill  to  eye  rufous  ;  bill  black ;  legs  and  feet  greenish  gray. 
Length,  7^-9 >^  in-  ;  wing,  5-5 >^  in. 

Hab. — Eastern  Province  of  North  America  from  Arctic  regions  to 
South  America  in  winter. 

86.  Purple  Sandpiper. —  Tringa  maritima. 

Summer. — Top  of  head,  neck,  back,  rump,  and  scapulars  blackish 
brown  ;  white  bar  on  wing ;  throat  white ;  breast  grayish  brown  ; 
rest  of  under  parts  white.  Winter. — Upper  parts  black,  reflecting 
purple ;  under  parts  white ;  flanks  streaked  with  brown ;  legs  and 
feet  yellow  ;  bill  brown.     Length,  8  in.  ;  wing,  4^  in. 

Hab.  — Northern  portions  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere  ;  in  North 
America  chiefly  the  northeastern  portions  ;  breeding  in  the  high 
North,  migrating  in  winter  to  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States,  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  the  shores  of  the  larger  streams  in  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

87.  Spotted  Sandpiper. — Actitis  macularia. 

Upper  parts  brownish  gray ;  head  and  neck  streaked  with  black ; 
back  spotted  with  black  ;  back  browner  in  winter ;  under  parts  white 
spotted  with  black ;  legs  and  feet  gray ;  bill  black  edged  with  yellow. 
Length,  7>^  in. ;  wing,  4X  in. 

Hab. — North  and  South  America,  from  Alaska  south  to  Southern 
Brazil.  Breeds  throughout  temperate  North  America ;  less  commonly 
on  the  Pacific  Coast.     Occasional  in  Europe. 

88.  Buff-breasted  Sandpiper. —  Tryngites  subruficollis. 

Upper  parts  grayish  brown ;  under  parts  pale  buff ;  bill  black  ;  legs 
and  feet  yellowish  green.     Length,  8  in.  ;  wing,  5X  in. 

Hab. — North  America,  especially  in  the  interior.  Breeds  in  the 
Yukon  district  and  the  interior  of  British  America,  northward  to  the 
Arctic  coast ;  South  America  in  winter  as  far  as  Uruguay  and  Peru. 

89.  Red-backed  Sandpiper.— rr/w^a;  alpina  pacifica. 

Upper  parts  brown  marked  with  black ;  wings  brownish  gray  ;  breast 
light  gray ;  black  patch  on  middle  of  belly ;  lower  belly  white ;  bill 
black  ;  legs  and  feet  black.     Length,  8  in.  ;  wing,  4|^  in. 

Hab. — North  America  in  general,  breeding  far  north;  Eastern 
Asia. 


APPENDIX  377 

90.  Solitary  Sandpiper. —  Totanus  solitarius. 

Upper  parts  olive  brown  ;  back  spotted  with  white ;  breast  streaked 
with  black ;  in  winter  upper  parts  grayish  brown ;  belly  white ;  bill 
greenish  brown  ;  legs  and  feet  olive  green.  Length,  8>^  in. ;  wing, 
SX  in. 

Hub. — North  America,  breeding  occasionally  in  the  Northern 
United  States,  more  commonly  northward,  and  migrating  southward 
'    as  far  as  the  Argentine  Republic  and  Peru. 

91.  Wandering  Tattler. — Heteraclitis  incanus. 

Head,  neck,  and  upper  parts  dark  gray  ;  throat  white  spotted  with 
gray ;  under  parts  white  barred  with  gray ;  bill  black ;  feet  and  legs 
greenish  yellow.     Length,  8  in. ;  wing,  6^  in. 

Hab. — Pacific  Coast  of  America,  from  Norton  Sound,  Alaska,  to 
Galapagos,  and  west  to  Kamchatka  and  Hawaiian  Islands ;  also  the 
Eastern  group  of  Polynesia. 

92.  Belted  Piping  Plover. — Aigialites  meloda  circumcincta. 

Upper  parts  gray  ;  forehead  and  under  parts  white ;  black  band  on 
breast  and  black  band  on  forehead.     Similar  to  No.  93. 

Hab. — Mississippi  Valley,  breeding  from  Northern  Illinois  north  to 
Lake  Winnipeg;  more  or  less  frequent  eastward  to  the  Atlantic 
Coast. 

93.  Piping  Plover. — ^.gialiUs  meloda. 

Upper  parts  pale  green ;  forehead  and  under  parts  white ;  ring 
around  neck  white ;  band  on  either  side  of  breast,  black ;  band  on 
forehead  black  ;  bill  orange,  tip  black  ;  legs  and  feet  orange.    Length, 

I  7  in.  ;  wing,  4^  in. 

'  Hab. — Eastern  North  America,  breeding  from  the  coast  of  Vir- 
ginia northward  to  Newfoundland ;  in  winter.  West  Indies. 

94.  Semipalmated  Plover. — ^gialites  semipalmata. 
Ring-neck  Plover. 

Under  parts  and  ring  around  neck  white,  except  band  on  the  breast 
encircling  neck  black;  back  brownish  gray;  spot  under  eye  white; 
bill  yellow,  black  tip ;  legs  and  feet  flesh  color.  Length,  6%  in.  ; 
wing,  4^  in.  • 

Hab.  — Arctic  and  Subarctic  America,  migrating  south  throughout 
tropical  America,  as  far  as  Brazil,  Peru,  and  the  Galapagos. 


378  APPENDIX 

95.  Black-bellied  Plover. — Charadrius  squatarola. 

Upper  parts  black  bordered  with  white ;  tail  white  barred  with 
black ;  sides  of  head,  neck,  and  under  parts  black,  except  white  lower 
belly;  bill  black;  legs  and  feet  gray.     Length,  11  in. ;  wing,  7%  in. 

Hab. — Nearly  cosmopolitan,  but  chiefly  in  the  northern  hemisphere ; 
breeding  far  north,  and  migrating  south  in  winter ;  in  America  to  the 
West  Indies,  Brazil,  and  Colombia. 

7Vb/<f.— George  H.  Mackay  {The  Auk,  Vol.  IX.,  p.  146)  says  :  "The  black- 
bellied  plover  is  in  a  great  degree  a  tide  bird,  seeking  a  large  portion  of  its  food 
on  those  extensive  sand  flats  left  by  the  receding  waters."  And  (p.  148)  Mr. 
Mackay  says  :  "  I  judge  they  [the  black-belliesj  have  never  been  very  abundant 
in  America."  I  remain  of  the  opinion,  however,  that  the  black-bellied  plover 
are  certainly  as  abundant  in  some  of  the  Western  States  as  they  are  on  the  At- 
lantic Coast,  if  not  more  so.  Mr.  A.  Henry  Higginson  {Outing,  December, 
1902,  p.  278)  says:  "On  May  21st  we  were  driving  along  near  a  'coolie' 
which  ran  in  from  Lac  aux  Morts  [North  Dakota] ,  when  we  saw  what  we  took 
to  be  a  bunch  of  golden  plover  feeding  near  the  water.  My  assistant  went  after 
them  while  I  sat  in  the  wagon  and  held  the  horse.  The  plover  saw  him  and 
flushed  before  he  got  in  range,  flying  directly  over  my  wagon.  I  managed  to 
drop  one,  and  when  I  went  to  pick  it  up  I  found  that  it  was  an  old  black-belly, 
with  a  breast  as  black  as  jet  and  a  very  white  back.  On  May  25th  we  went 
down  to  Lake  Irwin,  about  ten  miles  from  our  camp,  after  any  shore  birds  that 
might  chance  to  be  there.  Lake  Irwin  has  hard,  sandy  shores,  an  ideal  place 
for  black-bellies,  and  we  found  them  in  abundance.  We  got  a  great  series  of 
these  birds,  showing  the  variation  in  plumage,  which  is  very  great.  A  few  old 
males  seemed  to  like  to  stay  alone,  but  most  of  them  were  in  flocks  of  one  hun- 
dred or  more." 

96.  Pacific  Golden  Plover. — Charadrius  dominicus  fulvus. 

Very  similar  to  No.  97,  following.    Length,  iqi^  in. ;  wing,  6%,  in. 

Note. — "  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  distinguish  the  Pacific  from  the  American 
golden  plover,  the  only  difference  being  its  smaller  size  and  more  golden 
hue."— Elliot. 

Hab. — Breeding,  from  Northern  Asia  to  the  Pribelof  Islands  and 
coast  of  Alaska  and  south  in  winter  through  China  and  India  to  Aus- 
tralia and  Polynesia. 

97.  American  Golden  Plover. — Charadrius  dotninicus. 

Upper  parts  black,  with  golden  dots,  by  which  it  is  easily  distin- 
guished ;  sides  of  breast  white ;  sides  of  head  and  under  parts  black. 
Length,  10 y^  in. ;  wing,  7  in. 

Hab.  — Arctic  America,  except  coast  of  Bering  Sea,  migrating  south- 
ward throughout  North  and  South  America  to  Patagonia. 


APPENDIX  379 

98.  Snowy  Plover. — ^Egialites  nivosa. 

Forehead  and  under  parts  white ;  band  across  crown,  and  broad 
patch  on  either  side  of  breast  black ;  bill  black.  Length,  6%  in. ;  wing, 
4Xin. 

Hab. — Western  United  States,  from  California  east  to  Kansas 
and  Western  Gulf  States ;  in  winter  both  coasts  of  Central  America 
and  Western  South  America  to  Chili ;  Western  Cuba. 

99.  Wilson's  Plover. — JEgialites  wilsonia. 

Lores,  front  of  crown,  and  band  on  breast  black  ;  rest  of  under  parts 
and  forehead  white ;  back  brownish  gray.  Length,  7%  in. ;  wing, 
4>^in. 

Hab.  — Coasts  of  North  and  South  America  from  Long  Island  and 
Lower  California  southward.     Casual  to  Nova  Scotia. 

100.  Surf-bird. — Aphriza  virgata. 

Head,  neck,  and  breast  mottled  with  black  and  white ;  white  bar 
on  wing ;  white  rump  ;  bill  black  ;  legs  and  feet  yellow.  Length,  10 
in.  ;  wing,  7  in. 

Hab. — Pacific  Coast  of  America  from  Alaska  to  Chili. 

1 01.  Black  Turnstone. — Arenaria  melanocephala. 

Head,  neck,  and  back  brownish  black  ;  spot  in  front  of  and  be- 
hind the  eye  white ;  throat  and  chest  blackish  brown ;  under  parts 
white ;  bill  black  ;  legs  and  feet  greenish  yellow.  Length,  9  in. ; 
wing,  6  in. 

Hab. — Pacific  Coast  of  North  America  from  Point  Barrow,  Alaska, 
to  Santa  Margarita  Island,  Lower  California ;  breeding  from  Alaska 
south  to  British  Columbia. 

102.  Mountain  Plover. — yEgialites  montana. 

Forehead  and  stripe  over  eye  white  ;  stripe  from  bill  to  eye  black ; 
upper  parts  grayish  brown  ;  under  parts  dull  white ;  bill  black  ;  feet 
and  legs  orange.     Length,  8^^  in.  ;  wing,  6  in. 

Hab. — Chiefly  the  Plains  from  Central  Kansas  to  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains; north  to  the  British  boundary  from  Kansas;  westward,  espe- 
cially in  winter,  to  Central  and  Southern  California.  Accidental  in 
Florida. 

103.  Turnstone. — Arenaria  interpres. 

Top  of  head,  back  of  neck,  chin  and  throat,  and  upper  back  to 
sides  of  breast  white,  streaked  on  crown  with  black  ;  head  marked 


38o  APPENDIX 

with  black ;   back  black  ;   rump  white ;    bill   black  ;    feet  and    legs 
orange  red.     Length,  9  in.  ;  wing,  6  in. 

,  Hab. — Nearly  cosmopolitan.  In  America  from  Greenland  and 
Alaska  to  Straits  of  Magellan  ;  more  or  less  common  in  interior  of 
North  America  on  the  shores  of  Great  Lakes  and  the  larger  rivers. 
Breeds  in  high  latitudes. 

104.  Least  Sandpiper. —  Tringa  minutilla. 
Peep. 

Upper  parts  black,  edged  and  tipped  with  buff  or  rufous  ;  upper 
throat  white  ;  neck  and  breast  white  or  buffy,  streaked  ;  belly  and 
sides  white  ;  bill,  legs  and  feet  black.     Length,  6   in.  ;    wing,  y/^  in. 

Hab. — The  whole  of  North  and  South  America,  breeding  north  of 
the   United   States.     Accidental   in    Europe. 

105.  Semipalmated  Sandpiper. — Ereunetes pusillus. 
Ox-eye  ;  peep. 

Upper  parts  black  margined  with  brownish  gray ;  breast  streaked 
or  spotted  with  black ;  under  parts  white  ;  bill,  feet,  and  legs  black. 
Length,  6X  in.  ;  wing,  3^  in. 

Hab. — Eastern  North  America,  breeding  north  of  United  States. 
South  in  winter  to  South  America  and  West  Indies. 

106.  Aleutian  Sandpiper. —  Tringa  couesi. 

Head,  neck,  and  back  black ;  wings  gray  brown  ;  white  bar  across 
wing ;  rump  brownish  black ;  throat,  neck,  and  under  parts  white 
streaked  with  brownish  black  ;  bill  gray  black  ;  feet  and  legs  yellow. 

"  In  winter  resembles  purple  sandpiper  so  closely  that  it  is  impossible  to  give 
recognizable  character  to  distinguish  them  apart." — Elliot. 

//"«(^.— Aleutian  Islands  and  coast  of  Alaska,  north  to  Kowak  River, 
west  to  Commander  Islands,  Kamchatka.  Length,  7>^-9  in.  ;  wing, 
4^-5  in- 

107.  Curlew  Sandpiper. —  Tringa  f err uginea. 

Upper  parts  brownish  gray ;  sides  of  head  and  throat  white  streaked 
with  gray.  In  summer  back  and  scapulars  are  black  margined  with 
rusty  ;  sides  of  head,  neck,  and  breast  rufous ;  bill,  legs,  and  feet  green- 
ish black.     Length,  8'^  in.  ;  wing,  5  in. 

Hab. — The  Old  World  in  general ;  occasional  in  Eastern  North 
America  and  Alaska. 


APPENDIX  381 

108.  Western  Sandpiper. — Ereunetes  occidentalis. 

Similar  in  size  and  pattern  to  semi-palmated  sandpiper ;  bill  longer. 

Hab. — Chiefly  Western  Province  of  the  United  States,  occasional 
eastward  to  the  Atlantic  Coast ;  breeding  far  north  and  migrating  in 
winter  to  Central  and  South  America. 

109.  Wilson's  Phalarope. — Phalaropus  tricolor. 

Female. — Larger  than  male.  In  winter,  upper  parts  gray ;  rest  of 
plumage  white.  In  su?nmer,  head  light  gray  on  top  ;  white  line  over 
eye  ;  throat  and  under  parts  white  ;  legs,  feet,  and  bill  black.  Length, 
gyi-io  in.  ;  wing,  5X  in. 

Male.  — Smaller  and  duller. 

Hab. — Temperate  North  America,  chiefly  the  interior;  to  South 
America  in  vv^inter. 

no.  Northern  Phalarope. — Phalaropus  lobatus. 

Female. — Larger  than  male.  ^/«/^r, back  and  wings  gray;  chin, 
throat,  and  under  parts  white.  Summer^  head,  neck,  and  back  gray ; 
white  spots  above  and  below  the  eye ;  upper  breast  chestnut ;  chin 
and  under  parts  white  ;  legs  and  feet  gray  ;  bill  black.  Length,  7  in. ; 
wing,  4  in. 

Male. — Duller  and  smaller. 

Hab. — Northern  portions  of  Northern  hemisphere,  breeding  in 
Arctic  latitudes.     South  in  winter  to  the  tropics. 

111.  Red  Phalarope. — Crymophilus  fulicarius. 

Female. — Head,  chin,  forehead,  and  crown  black;  sides  and  line 
around  the  eye  white  ;  back  black  ;  under  parts  and  neck  cinnamon  ; 
bill  yellow,  black  at  tip ;  legs  and  feet  dull  olive.  Length,  7>^-8  in.  ; 
wing,  5X-5K  ^'^'  Winter,  head,  neck,  and  under  parts  white,  except 
occiput  and  around  eyes  black ;  back  gray. 

Male. — Similar,  duller. 

Hab. — Northern  parts  of  northern  hemisphere,  south  on  Atlantic 
Coast  to  Middle  States ;  to  South  America  on  Pacific  Coast. 

1 12.  Killdeer  Plover. — Mgialitis  vocifera. 
Killdee. 

Forehead,  throat,  and  belly  white;  spot  behind  the  eye  and  ring 
around  the  neck  white  ;  ring  around  the  neck  and  band  on  the  breast 
black ;  crown  and  back  grd^ish  brown ;  rump  and  upper  tail  coverts 
rufous  ;  bill  black ;  legs  and  feet  grayish  yellow.  Length,  10^  in. ; 
wing,  6>^  in. 


382  APPENDIX 

Hab. — Temperate  North  America,  breeding  north  to  Newfound- 
land and  Manitoba,  migrating  to  the  West  Indies  and  Central  and 
Northern  South  America  and  Bermuda. 

113.  American  Oyster  CaXch^r. — Hcematopus  palliaius. 

Head,  neck,  and  upper  breast  black;  back  and  wing  coverts 
brown  ;  upper  tail  coverts  white  ;  base  of  tail  white ;  lower  breast  and 
belly  white;  bill  red;  legs  and  feet  flesh  color.  Length,  17-21  in.; 
wing,  loX  in. 

Hab. — Sea-coasts  of  temperate  and  tropical  America  from  New 
Jersey  and  Western  Mexico  to  Patagonia  ;  occasional  or  accidental  on 
Atlantic  Coast,  north  to  Massachusetts  and  Grand  Menon. 

114.  Black  Oyster  Catcher.— ZT^wa/^/mj  bachmani. 

Head  and  neck  black ;  rest  of  plumage  blackish  brown ;  bill  red ; 
legs  and  feet  flesh  color.     Length,  17  in.  ;  wing,  ()%_  in. 

Hab. — Pacific  Coast  of  North  America  from  the  Aleutian  Islands 
to  La  Paz,  Lower  California. 

Note. — ' '  Oyster  catchers  are  generally  maritime  birds,  and  resort  to  the  outer 
beaches  in  search  of  clams,  mussels,  etc. ,  exposed  by  the  tide.  Their  strong 
bill  is  used  as  an  oyster  knife  to  force  open  the  shells  of  these  bivalves." — Chap- 
man. 

The  Jacanas  are  the  only  remaining  family  of  shore  birds.  Only 
one  of  these,  the  Mexican  Jacana  is  found  in  North  America. 

Hab. — Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley,  Texas,  south  to  Central  America. 
Of  no  importance  to  sportsmen. 

BOOK   IV 

CRANES,    COOTS,    RAILS    AND     REED-BIRDS,    WILD    PIGEONS     AND 

DOVES 

115.  American  Coot. — Fulica  americana. 
Mud-hen,  Crow  Duck. 

Plumage  slate  or  blue  black,  paler  below ;  edge  of  wing  and  under 
tail  coverts  white ;  bill  white;  legs  and  feet  gray  green.  Length,  15 
in.  ;  wing,  71^  in.     Often  called  blue  peter. 

Hab. — North  America  from  Greenland  and  Alaska  southward  to 
the  West  Indies  and  Central  America. 

Note. — This  bird  is  familiar  to  all  duck  shooters  as  the  mud-hen.  It  flies 
slowly  a  short  distance  above  the  water  and  is  not  a  difficult  mark.     It  was  not 


APPENDIX  383 

consfdered  a  game  bird  a  few  years  ago,  but  as  ducks  have  vanished,  sportsmen 
shoot  coots  for  the  want  of  something  better.  It  is  said  they  are  edible  when 
skinned. 

116.  Sand-hill  Crane. — Grus  mexicana. 

Plumage  slaty  or  gray  brown;  top  of  head  bare  but  with  black 
hairs  on  dull  reddish  skin.     Length,  40  in.  ;  wing,  7.1%  in. 

Hab. — Southern  half  of  North  America.  Now  rare  near  the  Atlan- 
tic Coast,  except  in  Georgia  and  Florida. 

{a)  Little  Brown  Crane  {Grus  canadensis). 

Similar  to  the  sand-hill  crane  (No.  116),  only  smaller.  Wing,  i8j^ 
in. 

Hab. — Arctic  and  Subarctic  America,  breeding  from  the  fur  coun- 
tries and  Alaska  to  the  Arctic  Coast ;  migrating  south  in  winter  into 
the  Western  United  States. 

117.  Whooping  Crane. — Grus  americana. 
White  Crane. 

Plumage  white ;  primaries  black  ;  top  of  head  and  sides  of  throat 
dull  red.     Length,  50  in.  ;  wing,  25  in. 

Hab. — Interior  of  North  America  from  the  fur  countries  to 
Florida,  Texas,  and  Mexico,  and  from  Ohio  to  Colorado.  Formerly  on 
the  Atlantic  Coast  at  least  casually  to  New  England. 

Note. — There  are  fifteen  species  of  cranes  in  the  world.  The  three  above 
given  are  those  found  in  North  America.  Chapman  says  :  "  Our  species  mi- 
grate in  flocks,  but  are  solitary  rather  than  gregarious  at  other  times  of  the 
year.  Their  voice  is  loud  and  and  resonant."  Young  cranes  are  palatable. 
Old  birds  are  more  often  tough  and  undesirable. 

118.  Black  Rail. — Porzana  jamaicensis. 

Back  and  wings  brownish  black  barred  or  spotted  with  white ;  head, 
breast  and  upper  belly  slate  color ;  nape  dark  reddish  brown.  Length. 
5  in. ;  wing,  i}i  in. 

/T^^.— United  States.  Wintering  south  to  South  America,  north 
to  Massachusetts,  Northern  Illinois,  and  Oregon. 

119.  Yellow  Rail. — Porzana  noveboracensis. 

Plumage  brownish  yellow ;  upper  parts  black,  bordered  with  buff  ; 
breast  yellow ;  middle  of  belly  white ;  sides  and  lower  belly  brown, 
barred  with  white.     A  rarefcird.     Length,  7  in. ;  wing,  3f^  in. 

Hab. — Eastern  North  America,  Nova  Scotia,  and  Hudson  Bay, 
west  to  Utah  and  Nevada, 


384  APPENDIX 

120.  Sora. — Porzana  Carolina. 
Carolina  Rail. 

Upper  plumage  olive  brown  ;  base  of  bill  and  crown  black ;  breast, 
throat,  sides  of  head  slate  color  ;  flanks  barred  with  black  and  white. 
Length,  8>^  in. ;  wing,  4X  in. 

Hab. — North  America,  breeding  from  Illinois  and  New  York  north 
to  Hudson  Bay.  Wintering  in  the  Gulf  States  and  Northern  South 
America. 

121.  Virginia  Rail. — Rallus  virginianus. 

Very  similar  in  color  and  pattern  to  King  Rail,  No.  123.  Upper 
parts  reddish  brown  marked  with  black ;  belly  and  sides  barred  with 
white ;  much  smaller  than  king  rail.     Length,  9  >^  in.  ;  wing,  4>^  in. 

Hab. — North  America,  breeding  from  Illinois  and  Pennsylvania 
to  Manitoba  and  Labrador,  and  wintering  from  same  States  to  Cen- 
tral America. 

122.  Clapper  Rail. — Rallus  longirostris  crepitans. 
Salt-water  Marsh  Hen. 

Upper  parts  olive  gray  ;  wings  and  tail  brown  ;  wing  coverts  pale 
cinnamon  ;  throat  white ;  sides  and  belly  barred  with  white.  Length, 
i/StfYz  in. ;  wing,  5  in. 

Easily  distinguished  from  king  rail,  since  latter  is  much  browner  in 
color. 

Hab. — Eastern  and  Southern  States,  in  salt-water  marshes  ;  breed- 
ing from  Connecticut  southward. 

{a)  Florida  clapper  rail.        ?  Same  as  122,  from  sportsman's  point 
{b)  Louisiana  clapper  rail.     S  of  view. 

123.  King  Rail. — Rallus  elegans. 
Fresh-water  Marsh  Hen. 

Upper  parts  brown  marked  with  black ;  wings  and  tail  olive  brown ; 
throat  white  ;  belly  and  sides  barred  with  white ;  neck  and  breast  cin- 
namon.    Length,  15  in.;  wing,  6>^  in. 

//iz/^. —Eastern  United  States  in  fresh-water  marshes,  breeding  to 
Missouri  and  Connecticut.  Wintering  from  Virginia  southward. 
Strays  north  to  Wisconsin  and  Maine. 

{a)  The  Corn-crake.— {^Crex  crex). 

About  the  size  of  the  king  rail,  No.  123.  General  color  brownish 
buff,  marked  with  dark  brown  or  black  on  back ;  sides  barred  with 


APPENDIX  385 

white ;  middle  of  belly  white ;   short  bill.    This  rail  is  an  Old  World 
species  of  casual  occurrence  in  Eastern  North  America. 

Note. — Rails  have  long,  narrow  bodies  which  enable  them  to  run  through  the 
reeds  and  marsh  grasses.  They  are  only  found  in  marshes  covered  with  reeds, 
wild  rice,  or  rushes.  Their  long  toes  enable  them  to  run  about  on  lily-pads, 
floating  grasses,  and  soft  mud. 

124.  Ground  Dove. — Columbigallina  terrestris. 

Top  of  head  slate  color ;  glossed  with  blue  on  head  and  neck ;  back 
brownish  gray ;  outer  tail  feathers  tipped  with  white ;  forehead  and 
under  parts  vinaceous ;  easily  distinguished  by  small  size,  about  half 
the  size  of  the  mourning  dove  or  common  wild  dove.  Length,  6^  in. ; 
wing,  y/2  in. ;  tail  lyi  in. 

Hab. — South  Atlantic  and  Gulf  States,  West  Indies,  and  Northern 
South  America ;  breeding  from  South  Carolina  to  Louisiana. 

'*  This  dove  frequents  both  pines  and  'hummocks,'  lake  shores  and  old  fields, 
and  in  some  Southern  towns  is  a  familiar  bird  of  the  quieter  streets.  By  no 
means  shy.  Favorite  roosting  places  densely  foUaged  orange-trees." — Chap- 
man. 

125.  White-winged  Dove. — Mehpdia  leucopUra. 

Plumage  bluish  gray ;  easily  distinguished  by  large  white  patch  on 
wings  ;  outer  under  tail  feathers  tipped  with  white ;  sides  of  head  and 
neck  iridescent  green  marked  with  steel-blue  spot.  Length,  12  in.; 
wing,  dYz  in. ;  tail,  4^  in. 

Hab. — Arizona,  New  Mexico,  Texas  to  Central  America,  occa- 
sional in  Florida. 

126.  Mourning  Dove. — Zenaidura  macroura. 
Carolina  Dove. 

Slaty  brown  above ;  under  parts  red  on  neck  and  breast,  buff  be- 
low ;  neck  iridescent ;  tail  long,  5  ^  in. ;  small  black  mark  below  the 
ear  ;  under  feathers  tipped  with  white ;  resembles  the  wild  pigeon, 
but  is  smaller  and  brown  on  the  rump  instead  of  slate  color ;  flies  with 
loud  whistling  sound,  made  by  the  wings ;  nests  in  trees,  but  on  the 
ground  when  there  are  no  trees.     Length,  11^^-13  in.  ;  wing,  5^^  in. 

Hab. — North  America,  from  Maine,  Canada,  and  Oregon,  south  to 
Panama  and  West  Indies. 

Note  — Mr.  Shields,  the  editor  of  Recreation,  claims  that  the  dove  is  not  a 
legitimate  game  bird  and  that  it  *ould  not  be  killed  at  any  time.  He  says  : 
"  It  is  a  beautiful  and  harmless  creature,  too  pretty  and  too  innocent  to  be  re- 
garded as  game.  There  are  few  States  in  the  Union  where  sportsmen  continue 
to  kill  these  birds." 


386  APPENDIX 

In  a  recent  bulletin  of  the  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture,  it  is 
stated  that  the  dove  is  protected  at  all  times  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Ver- 
mont. Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut,  New  York,  Delaware,  West 
Virginia,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Wyoming,  Arkansas,  and  the  District  of 
Columbia.  Ohio  has  prohibited  dove-shooting  since  the  bulletin  was  issued. 
It  would  seem  that  the  States  are  incHned  to  follow  Mr.  Shields.  Dove-shoot- 
ing, however,  h  still  a  very  popular  sport  in  most  of  the  Western  and  Southern 
States. 

In  Central  and  Southern  Arizona  in  the  summer,  the  white-  winged  dove  is 
found  in  great  quantities.  This  is  probably  the  finest  shooting  in  the  world. 
Experienced  wing-shooters  are  frequently  able  to  kill  a  hundred  of  these  swift 
flying  birds  within  an  hour  or  two.  These  birds  are  so  numerous  in  the  farming 
regions  as  to  be  almost  considered  a  pest  at  times, — Report  of  Governor  Brodie 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior. 

127.  Red-billed  Pigeon. — Columba  Jlavirostris . 

Head,  neck,  and  breast  purplish  wine-color ;  back  olive  brown,  with 
bronze  reflections ;  other  portions  slate-colored ;  base  of  bill  red. 
Length,  14  in.  ;  wing,  7^  in« 

Hab.—TtYiZS  to  Arizona. 

128.  Passenger  Pigeon. — Ectoplstes  migratorius. 

Slate  blue  above  ;  throat  and  breast  red,  becoming  white  toward 
tail ;  under  outside  feathers  of  the  tail  white  ;  neck  iridescent,  reflect 
ing  red,  green,  and  purple. 

Female. — Duller ;  neck  less  iridescent ;  tail  long,  8X  in.  Length 
15-17  in.;  wing,  Z}i  in. 

Hab. — Formerly,  North  America  from  Atlantic  to  the  Great  Plains, 
now  extinct  or  nearly  so. 

Note. — The  Ornithological  Union  has  proposed  that  the  term  "  game  "  be 
restricted  to  four  orders.  —  Anatidcs,  the  swimmers  RallidcB,  the  rails,  coots, 
mud-hens,  Limicolce,  the  shore  birds,  and  Gallince,  the  turkeys,  grouse,  part- 
ridges, etc.  This  excludes  from  the  proposed  game  list,  pigeons  and  doves, 
and  the  cranes  and  reed-birds. 

F.  Henry  Yorke,  writing  of  the  disappearance  of  the  wild-pigeons,  says : 
•'There  is  only  one  possible  solution,  and  I  believe  it  to  be  a  true  one.  They 
were  drowned  !  At  first  I  was  skeptical  on  the  point.  Could  they  not  rise  above 
or  outride  a  storm,  hang  on,  pay  off  or  run  before  it?  Many  or  most  of  them, 
although  exhausted,  would  reach  a  friendly  shore.  They  did  not.  and  the  stern, 
hard  fact  remains,  that  in  that  manner  they  must  surely  have  met  their  fate.  A 
report  was  current  among  the  sailors  and  masters  of  ships,  that  from  Key  West 
across  the  Gulf,  ships  plowed  their  way  through  dead  pigeons,  and  that  the 
shores  were  lined  with  them. "  This  occurred  in  1883,  Mr.  Yorke  says.  But  the 
pigeons  disappeared  before  that  date  in  New  York,  Pennsylvania,  Ohio  anO 
ehewhere. 


APPENDIX  387 

229.  Band-tailed  Pigeon. — Columba  fasciata. 

Head,  neck,  and  lower  parts  ashy  vinaceous  purple,  lighter  on  the 
abdomen ;  above  gray ;  olivaceous  on  the  back,  bluish  on  the  rump  ; 
narrow  half-collar  of  white  across  the  upper  portion  of  nape,  feathers 
beneath  this  dull  metallic  golden  green  reflecting  bronze  ;  bill  and  feet 
yellow. 

Female. — Smaller  and  more  gray. 

Hab, — Pacific  States  of  United  States  to  table-lands  of  Meyico. 

130.  Zenaida  Dove. — Zenaida  zenaida. 

Similar  to  the  common  wild  dove,  the  mourning  dove  No.  126. 
Tail  shorter  and  more  square,  tipped  with  gray  ;  under  parts  vinaceous. 
Length,  \o-io}4  in.  ;  wing,  6,^0  in. ;  tail,  3K-4  in. 

//<a!^.— Florida  Keys. 

131.  Blue-headed  Quail  Dove. — Starncenas  cyanocephala. 

Upper  parts  reddish  brown  ;  throat  black ;  blue  crowned  ;  white 
line  beneath  the  eye.     Length,  11  in.  ;  wing,  5>^-6  in. ;  tail,  4K-5  in. 
Hab.—V^tsX.  Indies,  Florida  Keys. 

{a)   The  Quail  Dove  [Geotry^on  martinica). 

Plumage  wine  red  iridescent ;  under  parts  lighter,  white  toward  tail ; 
white  band  below  eyes.     Length,  11  in. ;  wing,  6X  in.  ;  tail,  5  in. 

Hab. — West  Indies,  Florida  Keys  in  summer.  Very  similar  to 
No.  131  both  in  habits  and  appearance. 

Note— These,  doves  are  called  quail-doves,  since  in  form  they  resemble  the 
quail  or  partridge.  They  have  short,  broad  tails  without  white  tips  to  the 
under  feathers — 

"  A  ground  dove  found  in  wooded  regions." — Apgar. 

132.  White-fronted  Dove. — Engyptila  albifrons. 

Upper  parts  brownish   olive ;  head  and  neck  iridescent  metallic 
purple  and  bronze  ;  forehead  white ;  chin  and  belly  white ;  breast  wine 
color.     Length,  12  in.;  wing,  6X  in.  ;  tail,  4^  in. 
Hab* — Southern  Texas,  Mexico,  Central  America. 

133.  White-crowned  Pigeon. — Columba  leucocephala. 

Plumage  slate  color,  wida  white  crown,  pale  buff  on  female ;  neck 
reflecting  metallic  green.     Length,  J2-14  in.;  wing,  7>^  in, 
//h!<^,— Southern  Florida, 


388  APPENDIX 

134.  Inca  T^ove.—Scardafella  inca. 

Upper  parts  grayish  brown  ;  lower  parts  ashy  lilac  in  front ;  rich 
chestnut  on  wings ;  outer  tail  feathers  tipped  with  white  ;  scaled  ap- 
pearance due  to  black  marks  on  feathers.  Often  called  scaled  dove. 
Length,  8  in.  ;  wing,  3^  in. ;  tail,  4  in. 

Hab. — Arizona  and  Texas,  Rio  Grande  Valley,  south  to  Central 
America. 

Note. — The  distribution  of  the  pigeons  and  doves  in  North  America  is  some- 
what similar  to  that  of  the  partridges.  We  have  observed  that  only  one  partridge 
(Bob-white)  has  a  general  distribution  over  a  large  area,  and  that  the  remaining 
partridges  (the  blue  and  scaled  partridges)  are  distributed  over  a  comparatively 
small  area  in  the  Southwest  and  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  There  are  twelve  pig- 
eons and  doves  in  North  America.  Only  one  dove  (the  mourning  dove)  and 
one  pigeon  (the  passenger)  were  of  general  distribution.  The  other  pigeons 
and  doves  are  found  on  the  Pacific  Coast  and  in  the  Southwestern  States,  and 
(a  few  of  them)  in  Southern  Florida  and  the  Florida  Keys.  There  are  several 
blue  pigeons  and  one  scaled  dove  (the  Inca  dove)  which  has  a  scaled  appear- 
ance caused  by  the  black  feather  markings  like  those  of  the  scaled  partridge. 
The  scaled  partridge  and  the  scaled  dove  are  both  found  in  Texas. 

In  the  South  and  West  doves  are  sometimes  baited.  Food  is  distributed 
daily  in  a  certain  field,  and  when  the  doves  are  in  the  habit  of  resorting  to  this 
field  they  are  shot  from  ambush  as  they  fly  in  and  out.  The  baiting  of  doves  is 
prohibited  by  law  in  Georgia  and  perhaps  elsewhere. 

135-  Bobolink. — Dolichonyx  oryzivorus. 
Reed-bird,  Rice-bird. 

Male. — General  color  in  spring  black;  nape  yellowish  brown, 
patch  on  side  of  breast,  the  scapulars,  and  rump  white ;  bill  blue-black. 
Length,  7%  in. ;  wing,  3^  in.     In  autumn  resembles  female. 

Female, — Yellowish  beneath  ;  two  stripes  on  top  of  head  and  upper 
parts  throughout,  including  wings,  except  back  of  neck  and  rump  dark 
brown  feathers  edged  with  brownish  yellow. 

Hab. — Eastern  United  States  to  Western  plains.  South  to  West 
Indies  in  winter.     North  to  Southern  Canada. 

{a)   Western  Bobolink  {Dolichonyx  oryzivorus  albznucka). 
Hab. — Dakota,  westward  to  Utah  and  Nevada,  north  to  Manitoba. 

Note. — "  There  are  no  reed-birds  in  California,  but  a  dozen  species  of  spar- 
rows and  finches  masquerade  as  such" — Year  Book,  Department  of  Agricult- 
ure, 1899. 

Many  sparrows  and  other  small  birds  are  sold  as  reed-birds  in  the  Eastern 
markets. 


APPENDIX  389 

Every  one  knows  that  our  gleesome  minstrel  of  the  Northern  meadows,  who 
fills  the  June  air  with  bursting  bubbles  of  tinkling  melody  and  is  called  bobo- 
link, changes  his  name  and  dress  and  goes  South  to  be  slain  and  eaten  as  the 
reed-bird,  and  the  practice  is  so  old  and  appeals  so  strongly  to  man's  most  com" 
manding  organ  that  we  must  try  to  become  reconciled  to  a  flaming  wickedness. 
But  we  do  rebel  when  we  see  our  familiar  friends  the  robins  offered  for  sale  in 
the  South,  and  we  are  ready  to  weep  when  we  see  wood-thrushes,  divine 
psalmists  in  the  North,  killed  as  legitimate  quarry  on  the  Gulf  Coast,  even 
though  they  be  shy  and  silent  there,  and,  ludicrous  to  say,  in  some  localities 
known  as  swamp-quail — L.  T.  Spr ague,  in  Outing.  ^ 

I  have  placed  the  bobolink  at  the  end  of  my  list,  a  place  most  con- 
venient to  strike  it  off,  and  I  hope  before  long  this  handsome  song-bird 
of  the  meadows  will  not  be  an  object  of  pursuit. 

I  would  urge  the  sportsmen  of  the  Southern  States  to  exclude  the 
robin  and  the  meadow-lark  from  the  game-list.  I  would,  too,  urge  all 
of  the  States  to  prohibit  the  shooting  of  the  smaller  shore  birds  which 
are  not  desirable  as  marks  or  food.  The  larger  waders,  such  as  the 
avocet  and  stilt,  which  have  become  so  rare  as  to  indicate  their  exter- 
mination, might  well  be  protected  at  all  times.  The  wood-duck  and 
the  woodcock  should  be  protected  for  a  term  of  years,  and  the  open 
season  for  these  birds  should  then  be  a  short  autumn  {not  summer) 
season  in  the  South  as  well  as  in  the  North. 

In  conclusion  I  would  again  urge  the  immediate  establishment  of 
bird  parks,  where  the  game  birds  can  find  the  safe  refuge  at  all  times 
which  they  now  have  in  the  Yellowstone  Park.  I  again  urge  all  State 
game  officials  not  to  devote  their  entire  energies  to  the  propagation  of 
fancy  foreign  fowls  which  can  never  survive  in  unprotected  fields,  but 
to  give  their  attention  to  the  restoration  of  our  native  game  birds,  the 
grouse  and  partridges,  and  to  the  protection  of  all  game  in  the  spring 
of  the  year,  insisting  everywhere  upon  the  passage  of  laws  (where  legis- 
lation is  needed)  to  stop  the  spring  shooting,  and  looking  well  to  the 
enforcement  of  such  laws. 

Ohio  has  stopped  the  breeding  of  pheasants. 


INDEX 


Abbott,  quoted,  269 

Aleutian  sandpiper,  380 

Allen's  ptarmigan,  353 

American  avocet,  316,  317,  373 

American  coot,  383 

American  eider  duck,  202,  366 

American  golden  plover,  307,  308-313, 

378 
American  merganser,  241,  242,  363 
American  oyster  catcher,  382 
American  scoter  duck,  200,  201,  366 
American  woodcock,  248-267,  372 
Atwater's  prairie  hen,  349 
Avocets,  316 

Bache,  Mr.  Rene,  356 

Baird's  sandpiper,  375 

Baldpate,  369 

Band-tailed  pigeon,  336,  345,  387 

Bartramian  sandpiper,  283,  371 ;  shoot- 
ing, 284-286 

Bay  bird  shooting,  287-293 ;  blinds, 
288  ;  decoys,  288  ;  guns  and  cos- 
tume, 292 

Bay-birds,  248,  249 

"  Bay  coot,"  200 

Bay  snipe,  248 

Beach  robin,  296 

Beagles,  18 

Bean  goose,  153 

Belted  piper,  315 

Belted  piping  plover,  377 

Big  black-head  duck,  186 

Big  blue-bill  duck,  186 

Big  broad-bill  duck,  186 

Big-headed  snipe,  267  • 

Black-bellied  plover,  307,  313,  314,  378 

Black-bellied  sandpiper,  297 


Black-bellied  tree-duck,  160,  360 
Black  brant,  158,  159,  359 
Black-breasted  Bob-white,  108 
Black-duck,  220-222  ;  night  shooting, 

222,  223 
Black-grouse,  100 
Black-head  duck,  186,  361 
Black-headed  Bob-white,  108 
Black-mallard,  220,  221,  222 
Black-necked  stilt,  316,  318,  372 
Black  oyster  catcher,  382 
Black  rail,  383 
Black- tailed  godwit,  298 
Black  turnstone,  379 
Blinds,  288 

Blue-bill  duck,  186,  361 
Blue  goose,  154,  360 
Blue-grouse,   96,  351 ;    tameness,   97, 

98  ;    disappearance  in    winter,    99 ; 

guns  and  shot  for  shooting,  99 
Blue-headed  quail  dove,  387 
Blue-winged  teal,  225,  226,  232,  367 
Bob- whites,  107,  109,  356 
Bobolink,  388 
Bogardus,  quoted^  278 
Boobies,  196 
Brant,  158,  159,  359 
Brant-goose,  158,  359 
Broad-bill  duck,  186 
Brooks,  Allan,  quoted^  193 
Brown  crane,  323 
Buff-breasted  sandpiper,  ^H^ 
Buff-breasted  sheldrake,  242 
Buffle-head  duck,  193,  362 ;  shooting, 

194 
Bull-head,  308 

Burroughs,  John,  quoted^  100 
Butter-ball  duck,  362 


391 


392 


INDEX 


Cackling  goose,  153, 358 

California  mountain  partridge,  107, 
125-127,  354,  355 

California  valley  partridge,  107,  125, 
355  ;  running  qualities,  127-129 ; 
shooting,  128-130 

Canada  goose,  148,  359 

Canada-grouse,  100-102,  352 

Canadian  ruffed-grouse,  60,  351 

Canard  noir,  220 

Canvas-back  duck,  171,  361 ;  destruc- 
tion, 172  ;  food,  173,  174  ;  methods 
of  shooting,  175,  176,  179,  180;  inju- 
rious effect  of  carp,  177,  178 ;  curi- 
osity, 179 

Carolina  dove,  336,  385 

Carolina  rail,  327,  332,  384 

Carp,  their  effect  on  canvas-backs, 
177, 178 

Castalia  Club,  26,  27 

Chesapeake  Bay  dog,  18,  167 

Chestnut-bellied  scaled  partridge,  132, 
354 

Cinnamon-teal,  225,  226,  230,  367 

Clapper-rail,  327,  384 

Cocker-spaniel,  18 

Cody,  William  F.,  quoted,  47 

Columbian  sharp-tailed  grouse,  350 

Common  brant,  158 

Common  eider  duck,  202 

Common  wild  goose,  359 

"  Coot-foot,"  318 

Coots,  197  ;  shooting,  197-199 

Corn-crake,  384 

Coues,  E. ,  quoted^  60,  79,  325 

Coyolco's  Bob-white,  108 

Crane  Creek  Club,  26 

Cranes,  323-326,  383 

Creek  blue-bill  ducks,  186 

Creek  broad-bill  ducks,  186 

Crow-duck,  382 

Cumming,  Mr.,  quoted,  175,  206 

Curlew  sandpiper,  380 

Curlews,  294,  304,  305,  373,  374 

Decoys,  288 

De  Guise,  quoted,  57,  58 


Denny,  Judge,  52 

Denny,  Mr.  John,  52 

Dipper  duck,  194 

Dogs,  various  kinds  described,  14-16 ; 
training,  16-18  ;  cost,  19 ;  for  par- 
tridge shooting,  120 ;  for  mallard 
shooting,  215 ;  for  snipe  shooting, 
281 

Doves,  334-336,  346,  385-388;  shoot- 
ing, 337-339 

Dowitcher,  294,  295,  371 

Drury,  Professor,  quoted,  5 

Duck-call,  219 

Ducks,  160,  161,  171  et  seq.j  360  et  seq. 

Dunlin,  294,  297,  298 

Dusky-duck,  220,  367 

Dusky-grouse,  96,  351 

Eastern  willet,  303 
Eider  duck,  197,  202,  203,  366 
Elliot,  quoted,  199 
Elliot's  Rio  Grande  turkey,  349 
Emperor  goose,  153,  359 
English  dunlin,  297,  298 
English  pheasant,  58,  348 
English  setter,  15 
English  snipe,  282,  371 
Eskimo  curlew,  305,  373 
European  golden  plover,  307,  313 
European  ring-neck  plover,  315 
European  snipe,  250,  371 
European  teal,  232,  368 
European  woodcock,  250,  267,  372 
Evans,  Mr.  Wallace,  quoted,  56,  57 
Evermann's  ptarmigan,  353 

Field  plover,  283 
Fish  duck,  243 
Florida  Bob-white,  107,  356 
Florida  clapper-rail,  384 
Florida  dusky  duck,  367 
Florida  wild  turkey,  46,  349 
"  Fool-hens,"  97 
Forester,  quoted,  284 
Franklin's  grouse,  100,  352 
Fresh-water  marsh  hen,  384 
Fulvous  tree-duck,  160,  360 


INDEX 


393 


Gadwall,  370 

Gadwall  duck,  239,  240,  370 

Gallinaceous  birds,  41 ;  methods  of 
taking,  42  ;  characteristics,  42,  43  ; 
varieties,  44 

Gambels  partridge,  107  ;  range,  132 ; 
described,  133,  355  ;  trapping,  134 

Game  birds,  destruction  of,  28,  31,  et 
seq.,  protection  of,  33-37 

Game  clubs,  organization  and  regula- 
tion, 21-27  ;  New  Jersey  clubs,  28, 
29 

Game  parks,  20,  21 ;  necessity  for, 
195,  196 

Game  preserves,  20,  21 

Godman's  Bob-white,  108 

Godwits,  298,  299,  372,  373 

Golden  back,  308 

Golden-eye  duck,  192,  193,  363 

Golden  plover,  308  ;  shooting,  309-313 

Goosander,  242 

Gordon  setter,  15,  16 

Gray-backed  snipe,  296 

Gray-backs,  296 

Gray  crane,  323 

Gray  duck,  239,  370 

Gray  ruffed-grouse,  60,  351 

Grayson's  Bob-white,  124 

Greater  snow-goose,  360 

Greater  yellow-legs,  294,  299-301,  374 

Green-wing  duck,  195 

Green- winged  teal,  225,  226,  368 

Greenwood,  Mr,  Ralph,  quoted,  296 

Ground  dove,  346,  385 

Grouse,  60,  349-352,  shooting  season, 
61,  62;  destruction  of,  62;  shooting 
in  England  and  America,  63,  64 

Guatemala  Bob-white,  108 

Guns,  selection  of,  9-12  ;  accidents,  10 ; 
use  of,  12,  13  ;  for  partridge  shooting, 
115;  woodcock,  261;  snipe,  280; 
bay-birds,  292 ;  golden  plover,  313 

Harlequin  duck,  202,  364        ^ 
Heath-hen,  71,  72,  350 
Higginson,  Mr.  A.  H.,  quoted,  378 
Hooded-merganser,  241,  244,  363 


Homaday,  Mr.,  5 
Howe,  Dr.  W.  H.,  quoted,  143 
Hudsonian  curlew,  304,  yjS 
Hudsonian  godwit,  294,  299,  372 
Hutchins  goose,  153,  358 

Inca  dove,  388 
Irish  setter,  15,  16 

JACANAS,  382 
Jack  curlew,  304 
Jack  snipe,  282,  294 

Kill-deer  plover,  247,  307,  381 

Killdee,  381 

King  eider  duck,  202,  366 

King-rail,  327,  332,  384 

Knot,  294,  296,  297,  371 

Labrador  duck,  361 
Least  sandpiper,  380 
Leffingwell,  Mr.,  quoted,  344 
Lesser  Canada  goose,  153 
Lesser  prairie-hen,  349 
Lesser  scaup  duck,  362 
Lesser  snow-goose,  156,  360 
Lesser  yellow-legs,  294,  301,  302 
Lewis,  Dr.,  quoted,  280 
Little  black-head  duck,  186 
Little  blue-bill  duck,  186 
Little  broad-bill  duck,  186 
Little  brown  crane,  323 
Little  ring  plover,  307,  315 
Little  saw-bill  duck,  244 
Long-billed  curlew,  304,  374 
Long-billed  dowitcher,  295,  371 
Long-tailed  duck,  201,  364 
Louisiana  clapper-rail,  384 

Mackay,  George  H.,  quoted,  378 
Mallard  duck,  208-210,  368  ;  shooting 

211-218 ;    abundance    of,   211,   212, 

216 ;  dogs,  215  ;  call,  219 
Marbled  godwit,  294,  298,  299,  372 
Marlin,  299,  304 
Marsh  hen,  384 
Marsh  snipe  371 


394 


INDEX 


Masked  Bob-white,  124,  356 

Masked  duck,  365 

Massena  partridge,  107,  135,  136,  357  ; 

range,  132  ;  tameness,  136 
May-bird,  296 
Mergansers,  241-244,  363 
Mershon,  Mr.  W.  B.,  quoted,  349 
Mexican  Jacana,  382 
Mexican  turkey,  46 
Miller,  Mr.,  quoted^  59 
Mongolian  pheasant,  58,  348 
Mottled-duck,  220,  367 
Mountain  partridge,  355 
Mountain  plover,  307,  314 
Mourning  dove,  385 
Mud-hen,  382 
Mud-snipe,  267 

Nelson's  ptarmigan,  353 

Nittany  Club,  21,  50 

Northern  phalarope,  318,  319,  381 

Old-squaw  duck,  197,  201,  202,  364 ; 

shooting,  197-199 
Oregon  ruffed-grouse,  60,  351 
Ottawa  Club,  23,  54 
Ox-eye,  380 

Pacific  eider  duck,  202 

Pacific  godwit,  298,  373 

Pacific  golden  plover,  307,  378 

Papabote,  283 

Partridge,  Bob-white,  356 

Partridges,  106,  3S4-3S7  ;  young,  no; 
migration,  no,  in  ;  in  winter,  in, 
112;  range,  112,  113;  protection  of, 
113,  114;  shooting,  115-120;  guns 
and  shot,  115,  119;  habits,  121,  122; 
percentage  killed,  123  ;  albinos,  124. 

Passenger  pigeon,  336,  339,  386 

Pectoral  sandpiper,  291,  305,  306,  372 

Peep,  380 

Phalaropes,  318-320,  381 

Pheasants,  introduced  into  the  United 
States,  52  ;  shooting,  53-55  ;  breed- 
ing, 56-58  ;  Mongolian  and  English, 
58,  352 


Pied  duck,  361 

Pigeons,  334-336.  339-345,  386,  387 

"  Pil  willet,"  303 

Pin-tail  duck,  236,  237,  369 

Pinnated  grouse,  349 

Piping  plover,  307,  315,  2m 

Plovers,  307-315.  377-379 

Plumed  partridge,  355 

Pointers,  compared  with  setters,  14 

Pond  sheldrake,  244 

Prairie-grouse,   65,  66;   shooting,  66- 

71 

Prairie-hen  or  chicken,  65,  349 

Prairie  pigeon,  283 

Prairie  sharp-tailed  grouse,  350 

Princess  Anne  Club,  26 

Ptarmigan,    103,   352,  353 ;     wildness, 

104 
Pueblo  Bob-white,  108 
Punters,  205,  206 
Purple  sandpiper,  376 

Quail,  see  Partridge 
Quail-dove,  383 

Rails,  327,  328,  383,  384;  shooting, 
328-332 

Red-backed  sandpiper,  297,  376 

Red-billed  pigeon,  386 

Red-breasted  merganser,  241,  243,  363 

Red-breast  plover,  296 

Red-breasted  snipe,  267,  294,  295,  371 

Red  curlew,  299 

Red-head  duck,  181,  182,  362 ;  de- 
struction of,  183,  184  ;  shooting,  184, 

185 
Red  phalarope,  318,  319,  381 
Red  sandpiper,  296 
Reed-bird,  333,  388 
Reinhardt's  ptarmigan,  353 
Rice-bird,  387 
Richardson's  grouse,  352 
Ring-neck  duck,  187,  188,  361 
Ring-neck  pheasant,  58,  348 
Ring-neck  plover,  315,  377 
Ring-plover,  307 
Rio  Grande  turkey,  46 


INDEX 


39S 


River-ducks,  141 ;  methods  of  shoot- 
ing, 204-207 

Robin  snipe,  296 

Rock  ptarmigan,  353 

Roosevelt,  Robert,  quoted^  214 

Ross's  snow-goose,  156,  157,  359 

Ruddy-duck,  194-196,  365 

Ruff,  374 

Ruffed-grouse,  60,  88,  350  ;  range,  89  ; 
habits,  90,  91,  95;  field  merits,  91, 
92  ;  feeding  grounds,  94 

Sabines  ruffed-grousk,  60 
Sage-cock,  83 ;  as  food,  84,  85  ;  habits, 

85,86 
Sage-grouse,  354 
Salt-water  marsh  hen,  384 
Salvin's  Bob-white,  108 
San  Pedro  partridge,  126,  355 
Sand-hill  crane,  323,  324,  325,  383, 
Sanderling,  296,  375 
Sandpipers,  283,  296,   297,   305,   375- 

Saw-duck,  242 
Saw-bill  duck,  243 

Scaled  partridge,  107 ;  range,  132 ; 
chestnut-bellied,     132 ;      described, 

13s.  354 

Scaup-duck,  186, 187,  361,  362  ;  shoot- 
ing, 188-191 

Scoter  duck,  199-201,  365 

Sea-ducks,  141  ;  shooting,  161-170 

Sea  saw-bill,  242 

Semi-palmated  plover,  307,  315,  377 

Semi-palmated  sandpiper,  380 

Seton,  quoted,  283 

Setters  compared  with  pointers,  14 

Shad-bird,  371 

Shad  spirit,  371 

Sharp-tailed  grouse,  65, 350 ;  range  of, 
73>  74  ;  habits,  74-76  ;  shooting,  76- 
80 ;  extermination  of,  80,  81 

Sheldrake,  242 

Shields,  Mr.,  quoted,  385 

Shooting,  English  and  American  meth- 
ods, 29-31 ;  value  of  privileges  in 
England,  62,  63;  sea-ducks,  161-170 ; 


river-ducks,     204-207 ;     woodcock, 
257-261  ;  bay-birds,  287-293 
Shore  birds,  247-251  ;   shooting,  287- 

293 
Shoveler  duck,  240,  370 
Snipe,   248,   267,   268,   269,  370,  371 ; 

shooting,  269-280  ;  feeding  grounds, 

273-275  ;  flight,  276 
Snow-geese,  156,  157 
Snowy  plover,  307,  315,  379 
Solitary  sandpiper,  377 
Sooty  grouse,  352 
Sora,  327,  332,  384 
Southwestern  partridge,  132 
Southwick,  Mr.  Sidney,  quoted,  323 
Spaniels,  18,  260 
"  Spectacled  coot,"  200 
Spectacled  eider  duck,  203 
Spike-bill  duck,  241 
Spike-tail  duck,  236 
Spoon-bill  duck,  240 
Spotted  sandpiper,  376 
Sprague,  L.  T.,  quoted^  389 
Sprig-tail  duck,  236,  237,  369 
Spruce-grouse,    100  ;    stupidity,    loi ; 

table  qualities,  102 
Starbuck,  Mr, ,  4 
Stellars  duck,  203 
Stilt  sandpiper,  376 
Stilts,  316,  372 
Straight-billed  curlew,  299 
Stuart- Wortley,  Mr.  A.  J.,  quoted^  30 
Surf-bird,  379 
Surf-scoter  duck,  200,  362 
Swallows,  334 
Swans,  140,  145,  147.  358 
Swimmers,  139 

Tallet,  Mr.,  quoted,  223 

Tattlers,  299 

Teal,  225,  226,  367,  368  ;  shooting,  227- 

231 
Tell-tales,  300 
Texas  Bob-white,  107,  356 
Thompson,  Mr.  J.  B.,  quoted^  117,  213 
Townsend's  ptarmigan,  353 
Tree-ducks,  i6o,  360 


396 


INDEX 


Trumpeter  swan,  145,  146,  358 
Turkeys,  46-50,  348 
Turner's  ptarmigan.  353 
Turnstone,  379 

Upland  plover,  248,  283  ;  shooting, 
284-286 

Velvet  scoter,  201 
Virginia  rail,  327,  384 

Waders,  247 
Wandering  tattler,  377 
Welch's  ptarmigan,  105,  353 
Western  bobolink,  388 
Western  dowitcher,  371 
Western  sandpiper  381 
Western  willet,  303,  374 
Whimbrel,  304 
Whistler  duck,  192 
Whistling-snipe,  267 
Whistling  swan,  145,  358 
"  White-belly,"  350 
White-cheeked  goose,  359, 
White  crane,  323,  325,  326,  383 
White-crowned  pigeon,  387 
White-fronted  dove,  387 
White-fronted  goose,  154,  155,  360 
White-rumped  sandpiper,  375 
White-tailed  ptarmigan,  103,  352 
White-wing  scoter  duck,  199,  200 
White-winged  dove,  346,  385 
White-winged  scoter  duck,  365 
Whooping  crane,  323,  326,  383 
Widgeon,  237  ;  habits,  238,  369 


Wild-fowl,  139  ;  migration,  140  ;  abun- 
dance, 141,  142;  destruction  of,  142, 

143 
Wild-goose,     148,     358-360  ;    decoys, 

148,  149  ;  habits,  149  ;  shooting,  150, 

151 
Wild  pigeon,  339  ;  abundance  of,  340  ; 

destruction,  341,  342,  344;  shooting, 

342-344 

Wild  swan,  145-147 

Wild  turkey,  46,  348  ;  range,  46,  47  ; 
shooting,  48,  49 ;  disappearance  of, 
50 

Willets,  294,  303,  374 

Willow  ptarmigan,  353 

Wilson's  phalarope,  318,  319,  381 

Wilson's  plover,  315,  379 

Wilson's  snipe,  268,  370 

Wmous  Point  Club,  26 

Wood-cock,  248,  252-256,  372  ;  shoot- 
ing, 257-261;  annual  disappear- 
ance, 261-263;  grounds,  263,  264; 
migration,  266,  267 

Wood- duck,  233,  234,  368 ;  shooting, 
234,  23s  ;  destruction  of,  235 

Wood-grouse,  61,  64 

Wood-snipe,  267 

Yellow-legs,  294,  299-302,  374,  375 

Yellow  rail,  383 

Yelpers,  299 

Yorke,  F.  H.,  quoted,  386 

Yucatan  Bob-white,  108 

Zenaida  dove,  387 


BIRD   PORTRAITS 


PLATE    I 


PHEASANTS   AND   TURKEY. 
English  Pheasant.  2.  Mongolian  Pheasant. 

3.  Wild  Turkey. 


PLATE    II 


4.  Prairie-grouse. 

6.  Sharp-tailed  Grouse. 

8.  Dusky-grouse. 


GROUSE. 


5.  Heath-hen. 
7.   Ruffed-grouse. 
9.  Canada-grouse. 


PLATE   III 


Ptarmigan,  Summer. 


PLATE  IV 


PARTRIDGES. 


13.   Scaled-partridp;e. 
15.  Gambel's  Partridge. 
17.  Bob-white. 


[4.  California  Partridge. 

t6,  California  Mountain  Partridge. 

[8.   Massena  Partridge. 


PLATE   V 


SWANS. 


[9.  Whistling  Swan. 


20    Trumpeter  Swan. 


PLATE   VI 


GEESE. 

21.  Cackling  Goose.  22.  Hutchins  Goose. 

23.  Canada  Goose. 


PLATE   VII 


GEESE  AND   BRANT. 


24.  Black  Brant. 
26.  Emperor  Goose. 


25.  Brant-goose. 

27.  Ross  Snow-goose. 


PLATE   VIII 


GEESE  AND  TREE-DUCKS. 


28.   Lesser  Snow-goose. 
30.  White-fronted  Goose. 
32.  Fulvous  Tree-duck. 


29.   Blue  Goose. 

31.   (Jreater  Snow-goose. 

33.  Black-bellied  Tree-duck. 


PLATE    IX 


35.  Ring-neck  Duck. 
37.  Scaup-duck. 


SEA-DUCKS. 

34.  Canvas-back  Duck. 


36.  Labrador  Duck. 
38.   Lesser  Scaup-duck. 


PLATE  X 


SEA-DUCKS  AND  MERGANSERS. 


39.  Red-head  Duck. 

41.  Surf -scoter. 

43.  Red- breasted  Merganser. 


40.  Buffle-head  Duck. 
42.   Hooded  Merganser. 
44.  American  Merganser, 


PLATE  XI 


46.   Long-tail  Duck. 
48.  Ruddy-duck. 


SEA-DUCKS. 

45.  American  Golden-eye. 


47.  Harlequin  Duck. 
49.  Masked  Duck. 


PLATE  XII 


SEA-DUCKS. 

50.  White-winged  Scoter. 
51.  King  Eider.  52.  American  Eider. 


PLATE    XllI 


53.  Blue-winged  Teal. 
55.   iJusky-duck. 
57.  Wood-duck. 


RIVER-DUCKS. 


54.  Cinnamon  Teal. 
56.  Green-winged  Teal 
58.  Mallard. 


PLATE  XIV 


RIVER-DUCKS. 

59.  Widgeon  ( Female).  60.  Widgeon. 

61.  Sprie-tail.  or  Pintail.  62    Shoveler. 

63    Gadwall.  64.  Gadwall  (Female). 


PLATE  XV 


65.  Wilson's  Snipe. 

67.   Bartramian  Sandpiper. 

69.  American  Woodcock. 


SHORE  BIRDS. 


66.   Knot. 

68.  Dowitcher. 

70.  Pectoral  Sandpiper. 


PLATE   XVI 


SHORE   BIRDS. 


71.   Hudsonian  Godvvit. 
73.   r>lack-necked  Stilt. 


72.  Marbled  Godwit. 
74.   American  Avocet. 


PLATE   XVII 


75.   Hudsonian  Curlew. 
77.   Pacific  Godwit. 


SHORE  BIRDS. 


76.  Eskimo  Curlew. 
78.  Long-billed  Curlew. 


PLATE    XVIII 


SHORE  BIRDS. 

79.  Willet. 
80.  Ruff.  81.  Greater  Yellow-Jegs. 


PLATE   XIX 


SHORE  BIRDS. 

82.  White-rumped  Sandpiper. 
83.  Sanderling.  84.   Baird's  Sandpiper. 

85.  Stilt  Sandpiper.  86.  Purple  Sandpiper. 


PLATE  XX 


SHORE   BIRDS. 

87.  Spotted  Sandpiper. 
88.   Buff-breasted  Sandpiper.  89.   Red-backed  Sandpiper. 

90.  Solitary  Sandpiper.  91.  Wandering  Tattler. 


PLATE   XXI 


SHORE  BIRDS. 


92.  Belted  Piping  Plover. 
94.  Semipalmated  Plover. 
96.  Pacific  Golden  Plover. 


93.   Piping  Plover. 

95.  Black-bellied  Plover. 

97.   American  Golden  Plover. 


PLATE   XXII 


SHORE  BIRDS. 


98.   Snowy  Plover. 
100.   Surf  bird. 
102,   Mountain  Plover. 


99.  Wilson's  Plover. 
lOT.   Black  Turnstone. 
103.  Ruddy  "I'urnstone. 


PLATE    XXIII 


SHORE  BIRDS. 


104.   Least  Sandpiper. 
106.  Aleutian  Sandpiper. 
108.  Western  Sandpiper. 


105.  Semipalmated  Sandpiper 
107.  Curlew  Sandpiper. 
109.  Wilson's  Phalarope. 


PLATE  XXIV 


HI.   Red  Phalarope. 

113.  American  Oyster-catcher. 


SHORE   BIRDS. 
10.  Northern  Phalarope. 


12.  Kill-deer  Plover. 
114.   Black  Oyster-catcher. 


PLATE  XXV 


PLATE   XXVI 


CRANE. 

117.  Whooping  Crane. 


PLATE  XXVII 


RAILS 


ii8.  Black-rail. 

T20.  Sora. 

122.  Clapper- rail. 


119.  Yellow-rail. 
J2I.  Virginia-rail. 
123.  King- rail. 


PLATE  XXVIII 


PIGEONS  AND  DOVES. 


[24.  Ground-dove. 
126.    Mourning  Dove. 
128.   Passenger  Pigeon. 


125.  White-winged  Dove. 
127.   Red-billed  Pigeon. 
129.   Band-tailed  Pigeon. 


PLATE   XXIX 


PIGEONS,  DOVES,  AND   BOBOLINK. 


130.  Zenaida  Dove. 

132.  White-fronted  Dove. 

134.  Inca  Dove. 


13T.  Blue-headed  QuaW  Dove. 
133.  White-crowned  Pigeon 
135.  Bobolink. 


SCRIBNER'S  BOOKS  FOR  NATURE  LOVERS 


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Our  Northern  Shrubs 

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habits  of  our  northern  shrubs,  but  for  those  who  are  engaged  in  beautifying 
public  parks,  boulevards,  roadways,  school  yards,  and  railway  stations. 

The  photographic  plates  are  an  important  feature,  making  the  identifica- 
tion of  shrubs  easy. 


Our  Native  Trees 

AND  HOW  TO  IDENTIFY  THEM 

With  178  full-page  plates  from  photographs,  and  jdi  text- 
drawings.      Crown  Svo,  ^2.00  net. 


CRITICAL    OPINIONS 

C.  S.  SA'RGKH'T,  Professor  of  Arbortculiure  in  Harvard  University  : 

"Of  such  popular  books  the  latest  and  by  far  the  most  interesting  is  by 
Miss  Harriet  L.  Keeler.  .  .  .  Miss  Keeler's  descriptions  are  clear,  com- 
pact, and  well  arranged,  and  the  technical  matter  is  supplemented  by  much 
interesting  and  reliable  information  concerning  the  economical  uses,  the 
history,  and  the  origin  of  the  trees  which  she  describes." 

"  The  value  of  a  book  of  this  character  is  not  only  enhanced  by  its 
numerous  illustrations,  but  positively  dependent  upon  them,  those  in  the 
present  volume  being  of  unusual  interest ;  and  the  book  ...  is  one  which 
should  add  new  interest  to  the  coming  Summer  for  many  to  whom  nature  is 
practically  a  sealed  book,  as  well  as  heighten  the  pleasure  of  others  to  whom 
she  has  long  been  dear."— TV. •^.  Times  Saturday  Review. 


SCRIBNER'S  BOOKS  FOR  NATURE  LOVERS 
By  H.  E.  PARKHURST 

Trees,  Shrubs,  and  Vines 

OF  THE  NORTH-EASTERN  UNITED  STATES 

With  over  250  illustrations,  maps,  etc.     ;^i.5o  net  (postage 
12  cents). 

A  general  account  and  explicit  botanical  details  of  all  the  native  trees, 
shrubs,  and  vines  of  this  large  area,  as  well  as  the  most  important  of  foreign 
origin. 

It  is  especially  designed  for  those  who  have  never  studied  botany,  the 
plants  being  so  classified  that,  with  the  assistance  of  a  few  pages  on  plant 
structure  and  without  a  microscope,  the  non-botanical  reader  can  easily 
familiarize  himself  with  all  the  tree,  shrub,  and  vine  life  around  him,  including 
those,  native  and  foreign,  everywhere  decorating  our  lawns. 


How  to  Name  the  Birds 

Illustrated.      i6mo,  leather,  ^i.oo  net. 

"  Mr.  Parkhurst  has  compiled  a  convenient  pocket  guide  to  the  birds  of 
the  New  England  States,  New  York,  New  Jersey,  and  Pennsylvania.  He  has 
greatly  simplified  the  common  system  of  bird  classification  for  the  beginner  by 
omitting  such  details  as  are  invisible  at  field  range,  and  by  emphasizing  such 
characteristics  as  color,  size,  and  time  of  appearance."— ^^z'/^w  of  Reviews. 


Song  Birds  and  Water  Fowl 

Illustrated.      12  mo,  ^1.50  net. 

"It  will  be  welcome  to  the  many  friends  his  former  book  made.  The 
illustrations  are  the  finest  that  have  ever  been  printed  in  this  country  in  black 
and  white,  with  the  exception  of  another  series  by  the  same  artist." 

— The  Nation. 


The  Birds'  Calendar 

Illustrated.      i2mo,  ^1.50  net. 

*A  charming  book.    It  contains  a  year's  individual  experience." 

—  The  Outlook. 


SCRIBNER'S  BOOKS  FOR  NATURE  LOVERS 
By  ERNEST  THOMPSON  SETON 

Lives  of  the  Hunted 

Illustrated  by  more  than  200  drawings  by  the  author.    80th 
thousand.     ^1.75  net  (postage  15  cents). 

CONTENTS 

Krag,  the  Kootenay  Ram.  Chink  ;  the  Development  of  a  Pup. 

A  Street  Troubadour,  being  the  Ad-  The  Kangaroo  Rat. 

ventures  of  a  Cock  Sparrow,  Tito;  The  Story  of  the  Coyote  that 
Johnny  Bear.  Learned  How. 

The  Mother  Teal  and  the  Overland  Why  the  Chickadee  Goes  Crazy  Once 

Route.  a  Year. 

"  Surely  no  more  entertaining  book  could  be  devised  for  children  of  all 
2i^&'s,.''''— Chicago  Evening  Post. 

"  The  breadth  of  Mr.  Thompson-Seton's  sympathy  is  the  finest  charm  of 
his  work. ^'— Agnes  Repplier. 


Wild  Animals  I  Have  Known 

With  200  illustrations  from  drawings  by  the  author.     105th 
thousand.      Square  i2mo,  ^2.00. 

"  It  should  be  put  with  Kipling  and  Hans  Christian  Andersen  as  a  classic." 

—  The  AthencBum. 
"Mr.Thompson  is  now  drawing  the  best  mammals  of  any  American  artist. 
•    .    .    This  is  artistic  fidelity  to  nature  in  high  degree.    .     .    .    Nothing  of 
equal  simplicity  could  be  more  effective  than  these  little  marginal  oddities  and 
whimsies.     The  book  is  thoroughly  good,  both  in  purpose  and  execution." 

—New  York  Evening  Post. 


The  Trail  of  the  Sandhill  Stag 

Written  and  illustrated  with  60  drawings.     Square  i2mo, 

$1.50. 

"  Bliss  Carman,  speaking  of*  The  Trail  of  the  Sandhill  Stag,'  says:  '  I  had 
fancied  that  no  one  could  touch  "  The  Jungle  Book  "  for  a  generation  at  least, 
but  Mr.  Thompson  has  done  it.  We  must  give  him  place  among  the  young 
masters  at  otice.'    And  we  agree  with  Mr.  Carman." — The  Bookman. 


SCRIBNER'S  BOOKS  FOR  NATURE  LOVERS 
By  FRANCES  THEODORA  PARSONS 

According  to  Season 

TALKS  ABOUT  THE  FLOWERS  IN  THE  ORDER  OF 
THEIR  APPEARANCE  IN  THE  WOODS  AND  FIELDS 

With  32  full-page  illustrations  in  colors,  from  drawings  by 
Elsie  Louise  Shaw,  ^1.75  net  (postage  14  cents). 

"  It  is  a  privilege  to  own  such  a  book  for  its  artistic  charm,  and  its  con- 
tents well  deserve  their  setting." — The  Dial. 

"  The  charm  of  this  book  is  as  pervading  and  enduring  as  is  the  charm  of 
nature."— iV.  Y.  Times. 

"  Delightful  talks  upon  the  beauty  of  the  changing  3'ear,  and  the  parts 
contributed  to  such  pleasures  by  forest,  grove,  and  stream."— Z/t^  Interior. 


By  MRS.  WILLIAM  STARR  DANA 

(FRANCES  THEODORA  PARSONS) 

How  to  Know  the  Wild 
Flowers 

With  48  colored  plates  and  new  black  and  white  drawings, 
enlarged,  rewritten,  and  entirely  reset.  Sixtieth 
thousand.     Crown  8vo,  ^2.00  net. 

"  I  am  delighted  with  it.  .  .  .  It  so  exactly  the  kind  of  work  needed 
for  outdoor  folks  who  live  in  the  country  but  know  little  of  systematic  botany 
that  it  is  a  wonder  no  one  has  written  it  before."— ^(?«.  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

"It  is  not  often  that  a  book  so  suggestive  of  pleasure,  pure  and  simple, 
comes  our  way.  So  far  as  we  recall  books  on  flowers,  it  is  the  first  that  makes 
country  walks  an  intelligent  joy  for  those  who  know  nothing  of  botany  and 
who  have  eyes  to  see  and  minds  to  question."— T'//^  New  York  Times. 

"  Every  flower-lover  who  has  spent  weary  hours  puzzling  over  a  botanical 
key  in  the  effort  to  name  unknown  plants,  will  welcome  this  satisfactory  book, 
which  stands  ready  to  lead  him  to  the  desired  knowledge  by  a  royal  road." 

—The  Nation. 


.fr™"^"---'^^ch  Wowed. 


This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last 


date  stamped  below. 


MAY  1  2 

FES. 


DEC  15  1965 

DEC    91967 
'*0V  3  0  1967  I 


MAY  1  4  fcaNOV     8  19T3. 
'95(2      _     -731  9 


NOV? 

BIOUOOY  URRAW 


i 


I>21-95m-ll,'50(2877sl6) 


476 


13 


M 


